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HE   ONE   HUNDREDTFi 
ANNIVERSARY 


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Presented    by    J',,    cl  •  ^r^^r^<^ .   CS^oy 

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BX  8949  .S42  1910 

Second  Presbyterian  Church 

(Charleston,  S.C.  ) 
Exercises  connected  with  th< 

one  hundredth  anniversary 


THE    SECOND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH, 


Founded  1809. 


Photograph  by  Lanneau,  Charleston,   1909. 


APR  14  1911      *; 


1809  1909 


EXERCISES 


CONNECTED 
WITH 


THE    ONE    HUNDREDTH 
ANNIVERSARY 

OF  THE 

SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH 


OF 


/ 

CHARLESTON,  S    C. 


THE  DAQOETT  PRTQ  00.  OMA«M.  •    O. 

1910. 


The  Course  of  Exercises  in  Celebration 

of  the  N 

Centennial  Anniversary 

of  the 

Founding  of  The  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 


DURING  the  week  beginning  Sunday,  May  2nd,  in  the 
year  of  Our  Lord,  1909,  the  Congregation  of  the  Sec- 
ond Presbyterian  Church,  of  Charleston,  South  Car- 
olina, directed  by  its  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Keir  Geddie  Fraser, 
D.  D.,  celebrated  the  One  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  that  church. 

These  services  of  celebration  began  on  Sunday,  continuing 
through  the  week,  and  embraced  in  their  course  every  depart- 
ment of  the  Church. 

SUNDAY. 

The  opening  service,  on  Sunday,  May  2nd,  at  11  A.  M.,  was 
conducted  by  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Fraser,  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  speaker,  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Thompson  Plunkett,  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Augusta,  Georgia,  a  nephew 
of  Dr.  Thomas  Smyth,  former  pastor  of  the  Second  Church, 
who  delivered  the  Centennial  Sermon.  Dr.  Plunkett  dwelt 
with  uncommon  eloquence  upon  the  essentially  religious  and 
spiritual  character  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  its  ancient 
organized  system,  and  the  distinctive  tenets  of  Presbyterian- 
ism. 

At  4  o'clock,  in  the  afternoon,  the  scholars  of  the  Sunday 
School,  gathering  in  the  adjacent  school  building,  marched 
thence  to  the  Church,  where  at  4:30  P.  M.,  the  Sunday  School 
celebration  was  held.  The  especial  features  of  the  service 
were  an  Historical  Sketch  of  the  School,  prepared  by  Mr. 
Richard  W.  Hutson,  and  an  historical  address,  on  Sunday 
Schools  Past  and  Present,  by  Mr.  Francis  Fleetwood  Whilden, 


of  Columbia.  South  Carolina,  formerly  a  member  of  the  Second 
Congregation,  and  for  years  efficient  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School.  ■ 

At  8:30  o'clock,  in  the  evening,  a  service  of  uncommon  in- 
terest followed,  the  Historical  Record  of  the  Church  being  then 
considered  in  a  paper  compiled  and  delivered  by  the  Hon. 
J.  Adger  Smyth,  Leading  Elder  of  the  Church,  and  for  over 
twenty  years  President  of  its  Business  Corporation. 

On  this  day.  May  2nd,  there  were  no  services  at  Westminster 
Presbyterian  Church,  that  congregation  having  accepted  the 
invitation  of  the  Second  Church  to  join  in  their  centennial 
services  for  the  day.  At  the  First,  (or  Scotch),  Presbyterian 
Church,  the  senior  congregation  of  the  City,  at  11,  in  the  morn- 
ing, services  were  conducted  by  the  Pastor,  Dr.  Alexander 
Sprunt,  wdth  celebration  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
In  the  evening  regular  service  was  omitted  that  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  First  Church  might  unite  with  the  Second. 

MONDAY. 

On  Monday  evening.  May  3rd,  the  Educational  Work  of  the 
Church  was  emphasized,  and  the  congregation  were  thanked 
explicitly  by  the  official  representative  of  the  Southern  Pres- 
byterian Church  for  their  efficiency  in  this  branch  of  church 
endeavor.  The  distinguishing  features  of  the  services  were 
the  address  by  Rev.  H.  H.  Sweets,  Secretary  of  the  Church 
Board  of  Ministerial  Education,  and  a  review  of  the  work  done 
by  the  Ladies'  Education  Society  of  the  Southern  Presby- 
terian Church,  prepared  by  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Smyth,  and  read 
by  Mr.  Horatio  Hughes,  Jr. 

TUESDAY. 

Tuesday,  May  4th,  the  services  continued,  considering  the 
Missionary  Activities  of  the  Church.  A  very  carefully  compiled 
paper,  by  Mrs.  Mary  McD.  Stickney,  on  the  Missionary  Work 
of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  was  read  by  Mr.  L.  Cheves 
McCord  Smythe.  The  Rev.  J.  0.  Reavis,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church,  made,  also,  one  of  the  most  inspiring  addresses  ever 
heard  in  a  Charleston  house  of  worship,  discussing  the  world- 
field  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church.     Dr.  Reavis  brought 


.^i  i/'^o^^i^fi^^ 


First  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 

of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

1809-1820. 

From  a  Lithograph  Portrait,  published  by  W.  Kennan,  (date  unknown),  after  the 
Original  Painting  by  Thomas  Sully,  1812. 


to  the  congregation  expressions  of  good  will  from  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  Foreign  Missions. 

WEDNESDAY. 

On  Wednesday  night,  May  5th,  the  congregation  met  as  a 
social  body  in  a  reception  at  the  Manse,  in  Pitt  Street,  and  were 
received  by  the  pastor,  his  wife,  the  elders  and  their  wives,  and 
several  committees  of  reception,  the  Hon.  J.  Adger  Smyth, 
J.  N.  Robson,  W.  S.  Allan,  Robt.  E.  Seabrook,  John  Robson, 
Edwin  F.  Miscally,  Horatio  Hughes;  Mrs.  Adger  Smyth,  Miss 
Sarah  M.  Robson,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Allan,  Mrs.  R.  E.  Seabrook,  Mrs. 
John  Robson,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Miscally,  Mrs.  Horatio  Hughes,  Mrs. 
R.  W.  Hutson,  Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  and  the  young  ladies'  com- 
mittee on  reception.  Misses  Margaret  Moffett,  Martha  E.  Knox, 
Mary  Brailsford,  Cecile  Edgerton,  Amey  Allan,  Hattie  McGee, 
Jane  Prince,  Fanny  McNeill.  J.  Adger  Smyth,  Esq.,  acted  as 
Master  of  Ceremonies;  Mrs.  R.  W.  Hutson  as  chairman  of  the 
refreshment  committee. 

The  evening's  particular  ceremony  was  most  picturesque, 
and  unique  in  church  annals:  the  lighting  of  memorial  candles 
upon  a  large  and  singular  cake:  two  broad  layers  superposed; 
upon  the  upper  layer  a  model  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  careful  architectural  detail,  prepared  by  baker  and 
confectioner;  around  this  model  circled  seven  candles  memo- 
rial to  the  Church 's  Seven  Pastors ;  and  below,  again  encircling 
the  church  and  the  pastoral  tapers,  one  hundred  wax-candles, 
to  represent  the  century  of  the  Church's  life.  The  candles 
representative  of  the  Seven  Pastors  were  in  every  case,  where 
possible,  lighted  by  the  hand  of  a  direct  or  collateral  descendant 
of  the  pastor  thus  memorialized,  or  by  some  descendant  of  a 
contemporary  church  official  or  elder;  thus  Rev.  Andrew  Flinn 
was  represented  by  Miss  Susan  Smyth  FHnn,  of  Columbia,  S.  C, 
a  great-grand  niece;  Rev.  Dr.  Boies  by  Miss  Susan  McGee, 
honorary;  Dr.  T.  Charlton  Henry  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Adger, 
honorary;  Rev.  Dr.  Ashmead  by  his  great-grand-daughter, 
Miss  Margie  Pringle;  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Smyth  by  Miss  S.  A. 
Smyth,  his  daughter;  Dr.  Gilbert  A.  Brackett  by  his  daughter 

Notr:  The  original  portrait  by  Thomas  Sully,  from  which  the  lithograph  by 
Kennaa  was  made,  is  now  in  possession  and  care  of  John  A.  Dickson,  Esq.,  of 
Morganton,  N.  C;  it  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Andrew  Flinn  Dickson,  Jr.,  a  great- 
grand-son   of  Dr.  Flinn. 


Mrs  Gertrude  Bracket!  Fitzgerald,  of  Somerset  County,  Mary- 
land; Rev.  Dr.  J.  K.  G.  Fraser,  the  pastor,  by  Mrs.  Isabel  C. 
Fraser,  his  wife.  The  one  hundred  candles,  representing  the 
years  of  the  Church's  activity,  were  lighted  by  young  girls 
of  the  congregation:  Misses  Marian  Miller,  Lida  King,  Jessie 
Bolger,  Bessie  Meggett,  Gertrude  Frampton,  Annie  Frampton, 
Dora  Howe,  Hattie  McGee,  Cecile  Edgerton,  Elsie  Warren,  and 
Miss  Annie  W.  McDermid.  Pieces  of  this  memorial  cake  were 
packed  and  forwarded  to  every  member  of  the  congregation 
who,  by  absence  from  Charleston,  or  otherwise,  were  unable  to 
be  present,  either  within  the  State,  or  beyond  it. 

Also  in  attendance  were  Rev,  Dr.  Alexander  Sprunt,  of  the 
First,  (Scotch),  Presbyterian  Church;  Mr.  Paul  Langley,  of  Hal- 
ifax, Nova  Scotia;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Pringle;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  W.  Williams;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Dillingham;  Mrs. 
Richard  H.  Allan;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  R.  Hanahan,  Mr.  John 
Faber. 

THURSDAY. 

Thursday  evening.  May  6th,  the  Business  Corporation  of  the 
Church  assumed  its  part  of  the  celebration.  The  News  and 
Courier  of  that  date  says :  '  *  The  Second  Presbyterian  Church  has 
been  a  force  for  good  and  for  morality  in  the  community  dur- 
ing the  century  of  her  life.  It  was  deemed  fitting  that  oppor- 
tunity should  be  given  to  all  classes  of  people  in  the  City  to 
express  their  appreciation  of  her  influence  and  of  what  she 
has  done. ' '  To  this  end  representatives  of  all  forms  of  relig- 
ious belief  were  invited  to  speak  to  the  Congregation;  and  a 
cordial  invitation  to  attend  was  officially  extended  to  all 
church-going  citizens  of  the  community,  irrespective  of  creed. 
The  Hon.  J.  Adger  Smyth,  President  of  the  Business  Corpora- 
tion of  the  Church,  presided,  introducing  the  speakers.  The 
principal  address  of  the  evening  was  that  of  the  venerable  and 
venerated  Dr.  Charles  S.  Vedder,  D.  D.,  of  the  French  Protes- 
tant, (Huguenot),  Church  of  Charleston.  On  the  part  of  other 
religious  organizations  of  the  community  addresses  were  made 
by: 

Rev.   Alexander  Sprunt,   D.  D.,  of  the  Scotch  Church, 
representing  the  Presbyterian  congregations  of  the  City. 

The  Right  Rev.  W.  A.  Guerry,  D.  D.,  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 


Rev.  M.  G.  G.  Scherer,  D.  D.,  of  St.  Andrews'  Lutheran 
Church,  Wentworth  Street. 

Rev.  Howard  L.  Jones,  D.  D.,  of  the  Citadel  Square  Baptist 
Church. 

The  Rev.  Peter  Stokes,  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  Rev.  G.  S.  Butler,  of  the  Congregational,  (Circular), 
Church. 

The  Rev.  Barnett  Abraham  Elzas,  of  Hasell  Street  Syna- 
gogue, representing  the  Jewish  congregations  of  Charleston. 

The  Rev.  C.  M.  Gray,  of  the  Unitarian  Church. 

Dr.  Vedder's  reminiscent,  feeling,  and  informal  talk,  filled 
with  earnest  emotion,  deeply  touched  all  auditors,  and,  in  his 
-account  of  a  life-long  friendship  with  Dr.  Gilbert  Brackett, 
there  were  few  dry  eyes  in  the  Second  Church  congregation, — 
class-mates  in  young  manhood,  at  Columbia,  S.  C,  Seminary, 
as  those  two  truly  holy  men  had  been,  and  of  friendship  con- 
tinuous and  unbroken  for  forty-nine  years. 

Bishop  Guerry,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  made  an 
eloquent  appeal  for  closer  church  relationship.  Then  followed 
in  succession,  the  leaders  of  the  various  churches  of  the  City; 
Lutheran,  Jewish,  Congregational,  Methodist,  Unitarian,  Bap- 
tist and  Presbyterian  succeeding  each  the  other,  and  extending 
the  right  hand  of  God-fearing  fellowship  to  the  Congregation. 
A  letter  from  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Northrop,  Cathedral  of 
St.  John,  Charleston,  regretting  his  unavoidable,  necessary 
absence  in  New  York  City,  was  read  at  close  of  this  unusual 
communion  of  creeds. 

The  News  and  Courier,  of  Friday,  the  7th  of  May,  said,  con- 
cerning this  service:  "The  exercises  at  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  last  night,  were  of  a  character  that  cannot  well  be  de- 
scribed. Possibly  never  in  the  history  of  the  City  has  there  been 
such  a  gathering  of  varied  religious  beliefs  on  a  common  ground. 
All  churches  of  the  City  were  represented,  and  united  in  their 
good  wishes  to  the  Congregation  as  they  start  on  their  New 
Century  of  Life. "  "  It  is  impossible  to  give  a  detailed  account 
of  the  proceedings,  or  even  to  attempt  to  quote  from  the  ad- 
dresses of  the  different  ministers.  All  who  were  present  felt 
that  they  were  indeed  on  hallowed  ground,  and  that  the  occa- 
sion truly  marked  a  step  forward  to  the  better  understanding 
of  the  different  forms  of  faith,  and  their  mutual  co-operation. ' ' 


8 
FRIDAY. 

Friday  night,  May  7th,  at  8:30  o'clock,  the  Congregation 
assembled  for  services  preparatory  to  the  celebration  of  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord 's  Supper  on  Sunday  morning.  May  9th. 
The  preparatory  sermon  was  by  the  Rev.  Wm.  P.  Jacobs,  of 
Thornwell  Orphanage,  a  former  member  of  the  Church  Congre- 
gation and  scholar  in  her  Sunday  School. 

THE  MUSIC. 

At  the  close  of  the  Centennial  Week's  exercises  especial 
thanks  were  given  Miss  Virginia  Tupper,  organist  of  the  Church, 
for  the  high  standard  of  the  nmsic  rendered,  and  to  those  of  the 
regular  church  choir  who  faithfully  shared  in  its  effective  pro- 
duction: Mrs.  J.  B.  Lanneau,  Mrs.  Hampton  Smith,  Mrs.  H. 
Shackelford,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Millar,  Miss  Janie  Prince,  Miss  Louise 
Prince,  Mrs.  Twietmann,  Mrs.  John  Bennett,  Messrs.  Benj. 
Aldret,  W.  Lawrence  Millar,  L.  Cheves  McC.  Smythe;  and  Mr. 
W.  L.  Lucas,  assisting;  as  well  as,  also,  to  Mrs.  C.  B.  Huiet, 
Mrs.  Robt.  Seabrook,  Miss  Katherine  Moreland,  Miss  Whitney, 
and  Mr.  John  Matthew,  soloists,  for  their  heartily  appreciated 
assistance. 

The  hymns  tor  the  opening  service  were  selected  by  Dr. 
Plunkett  with  especial  fitness  to  his  topic;  those  for  the  other 
services  were  chosen  with  equal  appropriateness  by  the  Pastor, 
Dr.  Fraser.  The  music  for  the  Sunday  School  celebration  was 
selected  by  the  superintendant,  T.  Allan  Legare,  in  conference 
with  Miss  Sarah  R.  Smyth. 

THE  CLOSE. 

The  Annual  picnic  of  the  Church  Congregation  and  Sunday 
School  was  made  part  of  the  Centennial  celebration,  and  took 
place,  the  following  Saturday,  May  15th,  at  Ingleside,  those 
attending —  'twas  a  great  number — being  conveyed  to  and  from 
the  picnic-ground  by  special  trains. 

The  celebration  was  brought  to  a  fitting  close  on  Sunday, 
May  16th,  in  a  "post-centennial  sermon"  by  Dr.  Fraser. 
This  service  was  of  unusual  significance  as  marking  the  close 
of  exercises  in  celebration  of  one  hundred  years  of  a  Church's 
religious  course.  In  the  previous  services  the  congregation 
were  asked  to  look  backward  over  the  pages  of  their  past  his- 


tory ;  at  this  service  the  pastor  exhorted  them  spiritedly  to  face 
the  future,  earnestly  considering  what  lay  before  them  in  a 
New  Century  of  Spiritual  Activity  and  Life. 

To  this  service,  as  to  all  services,  all  strangers  in  the  City 
and  members  of  other  religious  organizations  were  cordially 
invited  and   made  welcome. 

On  the  closing  service  the  News  &  Courier  of  Saturday, 
May  15th,  commented  thus:  "Since  Dr.  Fraser  has  had  charge 
of  this  church  he  has  won  his  way  to  the  front  rank  of  the 
preachers  of  the  City.  His  sermons  are  always  of  the  most 
thoughtful  type,  and  he  will  doubtless  now  give  his  people 
fresh  encouragement  as  they  take  up  their  work  again  for  a 
New  Century. ' ' 

THE  COMMITTEES  IN  CHARGE. 

The  more  than  common  felicity  which  characterized  the 
several  various  exercises  of  the  centenary  week,  is,  for  the  great 
part,  to  be  credited  to  the  several  Committees  in  charge,  who 
had  spent  a  year  in  perfecting  their  plans. 

The  personnel  of  these  several  Committees  was  as  follows: 

Men's  Executive,  No.  I: — R,    W.  Hutson,    R.    M.    Masters, 

T.  A.  Legare,  A.  G.  C.  McDermid,  W.  W.  Clement,  W. 

McL.  Frampton,  H.  C.  Robertson,  Chas.  P.  McGee. 
Woman's  Executive,  No.  II: — Miss  Sarah  Ann  Smyth,  Mrs. 

Mary  McD.  Stickney,  Mrs.  J.  G.  Morris,  Miss  Amey  N. 

Allan,  Miss  Jessie  Butler. 
Advisory  Committee,  No.  Ill: — J.    Adger   Smyth,  Augustine 

T.  Smythe,  J.  N.  Robson,  R.  E.  Seabrook,  Geo.  H.  Mof- 

fett,  Horatio  C.  Hughes. 

The  several  members  of  the  Congregation  assigned  the  prep- 
aration of  historical  addresses  shunned  no  labor,  and  the  in- 
teresting facts  established  by  their  patient  research  are  es- 
teemed to  be  of  great  value  for  reference  and  information  in 
the  future. 

The  general  membership  of  the  Congregation  had  done  its 
utmost  in  preliminary,  and  laid  its  heart  most  cordially  to  the 
conducting  work:  the  exercises  thus  were  the  result  of  a  united 
Church's  wisely  and  moderately  directed  activity. 

It  has  been  deemed  expedient  herewith  to  reproduce  in  full 


10 

all  the  historical  papers  prepared  for  this  centennial  occasion, 
and  the  addresses  which  in  their  material  complete  the  fuller 
import  and  broader  significance  of  the  occasion,  namely: 
Dr.  J.  T.  Plunkett's  Centennial  Sermon;  the  Hon.  J.  Adger 
Smyth's  historical  sketch  of  the  Church;  Mr.  R,  W.  Hutson's 
Sketch  of  the  Sunday  School;  Mr.  F.  F.  Whilden's  historical 
address;  Miss  Smyth's  review  of  the  work  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Ladies'  Education  Society;  Mrs.  Mary  McD. 
Stickney's  paper  upon  the  Missionary  Work  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  and  Dr.  Fraser's  Post-Centennial  Sermon. 
Beyond  these  will  be  found  enhsted,  to  complete  the  record 
of  the  Centennial  year,  the  full  official  organization  of  the 
congregation,  a  statement  of  membership,  and  brief  mention  of 
minor,  but  noteworthy,  because  efficient,  agencies  in  Church 
conduct:  which,  it  is  beUeved,  completes  the  essential  record 
of  the  occasion. 


The  Presbyterian  Church* 

Her  History,  Her   Spirit,  Her  Teaching  and  Her 
Characteristics. 


Centennial  Sermon  by  the  Rev*  J.  Thompson  Plunfcett,  D.  D., 

of  the  First  Presbyterian  Chwrch, 

of  Augusta,  Georgia* 


EXERCISES  OF  SUNDAY,  MAY  2,  1909. 


It  is  good  to  be  here.  It  is  good  to  stand  on  the  splendid 
vantage  ground  of  a  hundred  years  of  history,  and,  placing 
our  eyes  to  the  telescope  of  the  Divine  vision,  look  backward 
over  the  records  of  the  century  whose  days  have  been  but 
numbered.  As  we  do  so  devoutly  and  earnestly,  many  wonder- 
ful things  shall  meet  our  view  and  our  vision  shall  not  be  in 
vain  if  we  are  deeply  moved  to  an  abiding  devotion  to  our 
risen  Lord,  and  are  stirred  to  greater  activity  in  seeking  to 
hasten  the  day  of  His  glorious  appearance. 

The  object  of  this  gathering  is  to  celebrate  the  centennial 
anniversary  of  this  individual  church,  and  I  bring  you  con- 
gratulations upon  your  attainment  of  the  venerable  age  of  one 
hundred  years,  "while  your  bow  still  abides  in  strength."  I 
congratulate  you  on  having  lived  through  the  most  important 
century  since  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  The  century 
which  throbbed  with  the  spirit  of  the  years  to  come  "yearn- 
ing to  mix  itself  with  life."  The  century  just  closed  was 
crowded  with  records  of  inventions,  discoveries  and  progress. 
One  hundred  years  ago  Eli  Whitney  was  giving  to  the  world 
his  first  cotton  gin.  Now  myriads  of  improved  mills  ring  with 
the  hum  of  marvellous  machinery  and  pulsating  as  if  instinct 
with  life.  One  hundred  years  ago  Benjamin  Frankhn  had  but 
recently  discovered  electricity.  Now  that  subtle  agent  lights 
our  cities,  delivers  our  messages  at  home  and  across  the  sea  and 
turns  the  machinery  of  the  world.  One  hundred  years  ago 
the  United  States  was  among  the  smallest  nations  of  the  earth, 
now  it  stands  at  the  forefront,  having  eighty  millions  of 
population  with  an  international  influence  reaching  around  the 
globe  and  able  to  dictate  laws  to  the  entire  world. 


12 

It  was  a  century  of  conflict  between  the  forces  of  moral 
light  and  moral  darkness.  Its  years  were  seared  with  violent 
out-breaks  of  forces  natural  and  forces  supernatural.  In  the 
early  morning  of  that  eventful  century  this  communion  was  or- 
ganized and  in  all  the  changes  of  this  one  hundred  years  God 
has  preserved  this  communion  intact,  and  with  assurances 
of  His  continued  direction  and  blessing  our  hearts  overflow 
with  thankfulness,  and  we  break  forth  into  singing: 

I  love  Thy  Church,  0  God, 

The  house  of  Thine  abode 

The  Church  our  blest  Redeemer  saved, 

With  His  own  precious  blood. 

We  say  from  grateful  hearts  '  "not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto 
us,  but  unto  Thy  name  be  all  the  glory  this  day  for  Thy  mercy 
and  Thy  truth's  sake.' '  The  recital  of  your  record  as  a  local 
Church  is  reserved  for  another  and  for  a  more  skilful  hand. 
My  office  is  more  general.  In  scanning  the  field  for  a  fitting 
theme  to  introduce  these  centennial  exercises,  my  mind's  eye 
finally  rested  upon  the  Church  herself.  What  more  natural 
topic,  what  more  timely  subject  for  this  hour's  thought  than 
The  Presbyterian  Church,  Her  History,  Her  Spirit,  Her  Teach- 
ing and  Her  Characteristics. 

Presbyterian  Church  Government. 

The  word  Presbyterian  is  descriptive  of  a  form  of  church 
government.  If  I  should  attempt  to  state  the  distinctive 
principles  of  Presbyterian  government  in  a  single  sentence  I 
would  say  it  is  ecclesiastical  republicanism.  Republicanism  is 
defined  as  being  that  form  of  government  in  which  the  exer- 
cise of  Sovereign  power  is  lodged  in  representatives  chosen 
by  the  people.  It  is  distinguished  from  monarchical  govern- 
ment on  the  one  hand  and  from  democracy  on  the  other.  Re- 
publicanism, whether  civil  or  ecclesiastical  demands  first, 
equality  of  condition.  By  which  is  meant,  all  men  are  equal 
by  birth  before  the  law  of  the  Commonwealth.  Second,  that 
the  laws  are  made  by  all  the  people  acting  through  their  repre- 
sentatives. Third,  that  none  are  elevated  to  any  state  in  which 
they  can  legislate  independently  of  their  fellows.  Fourth,  that 
no  hereditary  rank  is  recognized.  Without  consuming  time  in 
amplifying  these  principles,  let  it  be  observed  as  distinguishing 
principles  of  Presbyterian  government,  1st.  That  her  govern- 
ment is  by  representatives  chosen  by  the  people  in  convoca- 


13 

tion  assembled.  2nd.  These  representatives  of  the  people,  or 
presbyters  or  elders  are  of  a  single  order,  and  are  of  equal 
authority  in  matters  of  rule.  3d.  These  presbyters  or  elders 
rule  not  singly,  but  in  regularly  constituted  Courts.  These 
Courts  are  four  in  number  and  are  so  graduated  that  ''all  pro- 
ceedings of  the  lower  Courts  are  subject  to  review  by,  and  may 
be  taken  to  a  higher  judicatory  by  general  review  and  control, 
reference,  complaint  or  appeal."  Among  this  series  of  Courts 
the  Session,  constituted  of  the  pastor  and  the  presbyters  or 
elders  of  the  local  church,  is  the  lowest.  To  this  Session  is 
entrusted  the  spiritual  government  of  the  congregation.  The 
Court  of  the  Session  is  subordinated  to  a  higher  Court,  called 
Presbytery,  above  the  Presbytery  again  is  the  Synod,  and 
above  this  again  is  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Church,  called 
the  General  Assembly.  Such,  briefly,  is  the  outline  of  the 
Presbyterian  system  of  Church  government;  and  in  the  princi- 
ples laid  down  it  differs  from  all  other  forms  of  Church  govern- 
ment and  its  Scripturalness  has  never  been  successfuly  assailed. 

CaIvinism==Presbyterianism. 

The  Presbyterian  system  of  doctrine,  broadly  stated,  is 
Calvinism,  and  in  this  discussion  I  shall  use  the  words  Calvinism 
and  Presbyterianism  as  synonymous,  for  in  essentials  the 
one  is  the  other.  Presbyterianism  is  essentially  Calvinistic 
and  Calvinism  is  essentially  Presbyterian.  As  Presbyterians, 
we  bear  the  name  "Calvinist"  proudly,  not  because  John 
Calvin  originated  our  doctrines,  for  we  believe  God  is  their 
author,  but,  because  John  Calvin,  after  Paul  and  Augustine, 
was  their  ablest  expounder.  The  system  of  faith  called 
Calvinism  is  not  a  statement  of  Calvin's  belief  alone.  It  was 
not  born  with  Calvin,  or  even  in  Calvin's  day.  The  links  of 
the  chain  binding  this  system  with  the  apostolic  and  pre- 
apostolic  times  are  complete.  In  the  valleys  of  Southern 
France,  under  the  very  shadows  of  the  Itahan  Alps,  we  find 
the  Waldenses.  In  history  they  claim  descent  from  the 
apostolic  age  and  decline  to  be  called  "Reformed"  because, 
they  say,  "We  have  never  been  deformed."  They  claim  as 
among  their  ancestors  those  Christians  who  fled  from  Rome 
during  the  persecutions  of  Nero,  possibly  some  of  the  apostles 
themselves.  Those  intrepid  freemen,  those  maintainers  of  the 
apostolic  form,  those  martyrs  for  the  truth,  held  the  leading 
features  of  Presbyterian  doctrine.  Another  witness  through 
the  dark  ages  for  the  scripturalness  of  Calvinism, is  the  Church  of 
the  Culdees  in  Scotland.     Historians  agree  that  the  Scots  were 


14 

taught  Christianity  by  the  disciples  of  the  Apostle  John. 
Their  churches  ■  were  called  Culdee.  The  word  being,  most 
probably,  a  corruption  of  the  Latin  words  "Culter  Dei" — 
'  'Worshippers  of  the  true  God. "  Those  Culdees  are  essentially 
Presbyterian.  The  same  general  system  of  faith  was  held  by 
John  Wickhffe,  the  "Morning  Star  of  the  Reformation,"  and 
also  by  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  his  companions  in 
faith  and  martyrdom.  Of  the  great  Reformers  of  the  16th 
century  it  is  well  known  that  Luther,  Melancthon  and  Swingle 
were  all  distinctly  Calvinistic  in  their  teachings.  Passing  over 
to  Great  Britain  we  find  Wishart,  Cramer,  Ridley,  Latimer  and 
Knox,  and  in  short,  all  the  Reformers  of  any  name,  both  in 
North  and  South  Britain,  doctrinal  Calvinists.  Is  it  not  re- 
markable that  all  the  great  and  good  men,  who  took  the  lead  in 
the  Reformation — men  of  different  languages,  habits  and  prej- 
udices; many  of  them  absolute  strangers  to  each  other;  men 
not  merely  in  Geneva,  but  in  Great  Britian,  France,  Germany, 
Holland,  Switzerland — all,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  should 
become  advocates  in  substance  of  that  system  which  we  de- 
nominate Calvinistic?  The  Presbyterian  faith,  which  we  hold, 
is  no  mushroom  growth,  no  frail  flower  of  a  day,  nor  the  ex-* 
pression  of  a  single  mind  cramped  and  prejudiced  by  existing 
conditions,  but,  Uke  the  gnarled  olive  tree  of  Palestine,  its 
history  has  marked  the  centuries.  It  has  seen  human  govern- 
ments rise,  play  their  parts  and  pass  away.  "It  is  older  than 
Grecian  philosophy;  it  saw  the  rise  of  the  Roman  Empire  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  years  before  Christ;  it  antedates  Egyptian 
civiUzation,  it  reaches  backward  to  the  times  of  the  Patriarchs, 
having  its  origin  in  the  twilight  of  history." 

It  has  borne  the  praise  and  blame  of  men  and  it  has  worn  the 
martyr's  wreath.  From  this  recital  it  is  seen  that  the  Presby- 
terian Church  is  not  the  only  ecclesiastical  body  that  holds  the 
Calvinistic  system.  None,  however,  will  deny  that  friends  and 
foes  alike  award  to  the  Presbjd^erian  Church,  as  its  wreath  of 
thorns  or  its  diadem  of  glory,  the  distinction  of  being  the  world's 
leading  representative  of  the  creed  of  Calvinism.  In  this 
coronation  we  rejoice  and  we  would  gladly  attribute  it  to  the 
purity  in  which  we  hold  the  "faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints,"  and  the  unflinching  fidelity  with  which  in  every  age 
we  have  been  ready  to  champion  and  die  for  it. 

The  Westminster  Epitome. 

The  doctrinal  formularies  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are 
known  as  the  Westminster  Standards  because  the  famous  body 


15 

of  divines  that  formulated  them  held  their  sessions  in  grand 
old  Westminster  Abbey.  Their  labors  were  accepted  after 
deliberations  that  lasted  over  five  years,  during  which  time 
over  twelve  hundred  sessions  were  held.  They  met  in  1643  at  a 
period  in  the  world's  history  when  the  human  intellect  seems 
to  have  reached  the  zenith  of  its  power.  The  era  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly  was  the  era  of  William  Shakespear,  of  the 
translation  of  the  English  Bible,  the  era  of  Francis  Bacon.  It 
was  a  representative  body  called  by  the  English  Parliament, 
and  was  made  up  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  divines, 
eleven  lords,  twenty  commoners,  from  all  the  counties  of  Eng- 
land and  the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  with  seven 
commissioners  from  Scotland.  It  was  an  elect  Assembly, 
nor  were  they  scholars  and  theologians  alone.  Among  them 
were  thinkers  of  various  type,  orators,  statesmen,  hymnists, 
saints,  men  in  every  way  qualified  to  embody  in  symbols  and 
institutions,  the  intense  life  of  that  marvellous  spiritual  revolu- 
tion which  we  call  the  Reformation.  The  doctrinal  standards 
of  the  Church  are  the  Westminister  Shorter  Catechism,  the 
Westminster  Larger  Catechism  and  the  Westminster  Confession 
of  Faith.  They  are  not  three  creeds,  they  are  but  three  state- 
ments varying  in  form  and  fulness  and  purpose  of  one  and  the 
same  creed.  Each  is  a  complete  epitome  of  the  Presbyterian 
or  Calvinistic  system. 

This  historic  faith  marks  two  fundamental  postulates,  God,  a 
triune  spirit,  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable  in  His  being, 
wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness  and  truth;  man,  the 
creature  made  in  the  image  of  God,  but  fallen  from  his  original 
state  of  innocence  and  blessedness  into  an  estate  of  sin  and 
misery.  Corrupted  by  sin  throughout  his  entire  nature,  ex- 
posed to  the  penalty  of  God's  retributive  justice  and  utterly 
and  forever  unable  of  himself  to  merit  God's  favor  or  forgive- 
ness. Correlated  with  these,  indeed,  flowing  naturally  out  of 
them,  is  God's  gracious  scheme  of  atonement  and  redemption, 
determined  on  in  the  Divine  mind  from  all  eternity,  and  de- 
veloped in  the  fullness  of  time  by  the  sending  forth  of  the  Son 
in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  to  be  a  mediator  between  God  and 
man,  who  moved  by  infinite  love  and  compassion,  took  the 
place  of  those  whom  the  Father  had  given  Him  and  satisfied  in 
His  own  person  all  the  demands  of  the  Divine  justice  against 
them .  These ,  it  holds ,  having  been  from  all  eternity  predestined 
unto  everlasting  life  are  called  out  of  the  world,  regenerated  by 
God's  spirit,  justified  by  faith  in  His  Son,  adopted  into  the 
divine  family,  sanctified  by  the  indwelUng  spirit  and  kept  by 


16 

the  might  and  power  of  God  against  all  the  wiles  of  the  wicked 
one,  to  eternal  life.  Such  is  Calvinism,  such  is  Presbyterian- 
ism  in  broad  outline.  It  lies  in  solution,  as  it  were,  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  crystallized  in  the  great  reformed 
creeds.  Its  purest  gem  is  the  Westminster  Standards  found  in 
the  Catechisms  and  Confessions  of  Faith  of  that  historic  Assem- 
bly. Calvinism  invites  to  the  study  of  problems  the  most  abs- 
truse and  profound  which  ever  engaged  the  minds  of  men.  It 
does  not  deal  with  barren  negatives.  It  is  a  bold,  a  positive, 
and  a  fruitful  system.  "It  solves  all  mysteries;  it  resolves  all 
doubts  touching  nature  and  its  phenomena;  touching  man  and 
his  destiny  by  its  bold  assumption  of  one  supreme  and  eternally 
inscrutable  mystery." 

The  Great  Traits  of  the  Church. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  been  noted  for  certain  great 
traits.     Among  them  we  notice: 

First — Reverence  for  the  Bible  and  the  steady  exaltation  of  its 
teachings.  From  the  beginning,  Calvinism  has  emblazoned 
upon  its  banner  '  'The  Scriptures — the  whole  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments — the  very  Word  of  God."  'As  such 
they  are  the  only  infallible  teacher  of  what  man  is  to  believe 
concerning  God  and  what  duty  God  requires  of  man. 

The  teachings  of  traditions,  the  decrees  of  councils,  the 
imperfect  readings  of  nature  called  science,  it  has  with  stead- 
fast insistence  brought  to  the  Scriptures,  and  according  to 
their  agreement  with  this  standard  have  such  deliverances 
stood  or  fallen.  It  demands  no  interpretation  of  God  more 
God-like  than  God  has  been  pleased  to  reveal;  it  demands  no 
statement  more  Christian  than  Christianity  or  more  Christ- 
like  than  Christ.  Its  single  ambition  is  to  be  unflinchingly 
scriptural,  faithfully  mirroring  the  will  of  God  as  revealed  in 
His  word.  Calvinism  has  no  place  or  apology  for  expediency. 
It  refuses  to  be  led  astray  by  philosophy.  The  West- 
minster divines  were  consummate  masters  of  philosophy, 
but  in  all  the  Westminster  Standards  there  is  not  a 
paragraph  which  affords  a  hint  as  to  what  philosophical  school 
the  Assembly  favored.  Dr.  Fisher,  of  Yale  University,  says: 
"One  prime  characteristic  of  Calvinism  is  the  steadfast,  con- 
sistent adoption  of  the  Bible  as  the  sole  standard  of  doctrine." 
"We  gratefully  acknowledge,"  said  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Conference  in  its  address  to  the  Presbyterian  Alliance,  "the 
faithful  and  unfaltering  testimony  which  your  Church  has 
borne  through  her  entire  history  on  behalf  of  the  divine  inspi- 


17 

ration  and  authority  of  the  Word  of  God."  Said  the  Baptist 
Association  in  their  greeting  to  the  same  body:  ''The  Pres- 
byterian Church  has  been  the  magnificent  defender  of  the 
Word  of  God  throughout  the  ages."  Above  all  others  she 
has  borne,  bears  now,  and  will  continue  to  bear  on  her  name 
the  odium,  and  upon  her  person  the  blows  provoked  by  and 
aimed  at  the  Word  of  God.  Humbly,  yet  proudly,  she  can 
sa)''  to  her  Lord:  "The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  Thee 
fell  on  me."  There  are  unquestionably  hard  sayings  in  the 
system,  likewise  there  are  hard  sayings  in  the  Bible.  Some 
doctrines  for  which  Presbyterianism  stands  are  among  the 
hard  things  to  be  understood,  of  which  the  Apostle  Paul 
wrote:  "This  is  a  hard  saying;  who  can  bear  it?"  May  it  not 
be  possible  that  it  is  because  of  its  severe  scripturalness  that 
Calvinism  never  has  been,  is  not,  and  never  will  be  popular 
with  a  rationalistic,  unregenerate  world?  The  offence  of  the 
Word  is  as  undying  as  the  offence  of  the  Cross. 

Second  Trait.  Calvinism  has  always  stressed  the  sover- 
eignty of  God.  Says  Dr.  Geo.  P.  Fisher,  of  Yale:  "The  pro- 
found sense  of  the  exaltation  of  God  is  the  key-note  of  Calvin- 
ism." The  glory  of  the  Lord,  God,  Almighty  is  its  unifying, 
all  prevading  principle — the  blazing  sun  and  centre  of  the  sys- 
tem. It  adores  God  as  the  absolute  and  ever  blessed  Sover- 
eign worthy  of  love,  worship  and  obedience,  "who  doth  up- 
hold, direct,  dispose  and  govern  all  creatures,  actions  and  things 
from  the  greatest  even  to  the  least,  to  the  praise  of  the  glory 
of  His  wisdom,  power,  justice,  goodness  and  mercy."  As 
one  has  said,  "In  all  places,  in  all  times,  from  eternity  to  eter- 
nity Calvinism  sees  God."  God's  sovereignty  is  the  lens 
through  which  Calvinism  views  all  other  facts.  Beginning 
with  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  God,  the  Calvinist  deduces 
in  a  severely  logical  order  all  his  beliefs.  He  reasons  some- 
thing like  this:  "Granted  that  God  is  the  absolute  Sovereign 
over  all  his  intelligent  creatures,  it  would  follow  that  He 
would  make  known  His  will  to  them.  How  He  reveals  him- 
self to  other  intelligences  is  not  known,  but  to  men  it  must 
be  by  a  verbal  revelation,  and  then,  a  written  revelation,  in 
order  that  it  may  be  preserved  to  all  generations.  Thus  we 
are  given  the  necessary  revelation  and  in  connection  therewith 
the  dogma  of  inspiration.  In  the  second  place,  this  Sover- 
eign God,  being  necessarily  wise,  and  having  made  all  things 
for  His  own  glory,  would  have  a  plan  or  purpose  by  which  His 
sovereignty  is  exercised,  and  the  ends  of  His  creation  insured, 
and  so  we  have  fore-ordination.     Upon  this  point  we  contend 


18 

if  there  be  a  God  who  is  and  has  always  been  acting  upon  an 
intelligent  plan,  of  which  He  knew  the  end  from  the  beginning 
— and  there  must  be  such  a  Being,  or  there  is  no  adequate  God 
— then  all  the  difficulty  alleged  against  sovereign,  uncondi- 
tional predetermination  goes  to  the  ground.  Futhermore, 
God  being  sovereign,  and  having  permitted  man,  according 
to  His  eternal  plan,  to  fall  into  sin.  He  has  in  accordance  with 
the  same  comprehensive  and  perfect  plan  further  determined 
either  to  save  none  or  all  or  some  of  the  human  race.  In  the 
Scriptures,  in  which,  as  we  have  already  seen,  we  have  God's 
revealed  mind  and  purpose,  we  find  that  from  eternity  He  de- 
termined to  save  some  through  Jesus  Christ,  those  whom  He 
had  given  to  Christ,  and  so  we  have  election.  That  He  did 
not  determine  to  save  all,  signifies  that  He  passed  by  some,  and 
thus  we  have  the  doctrine  of  preterition. 

Those  whom  He  determined  to  save,  He  effectually  called. 
His  Spirit  "working  in  them,  convincing  them  of  their  sin  and 
misery,  enlightening  their  minds  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ, 
renewing  their  wills  and  persuading  and  enabling  them  to  em- 
brace Jesus  Christ,  freely  offered  to  them  in  the  Gospel." 
Final  perseverance  of  the  saints  is  simply  the  consequence  of 
sovereign  election  to  everlasting  life." 

Moral  Distinctions. 

From  the  Presbyterian's  conception  of  the  inspiration  of 
the  Bible  and  this  estimate  of  God  there  follows  certain  deduc- 
tions. Among  these,  he  holds  that  God,  and  God  alone,  is  to  be 
feared  and  obeyed.  As  a  consequence  of  this  conviction,  there 
ever  goes  a  keen  appreciation  of  moral  distinctions.  Truth, 
justice,  righteousness  and  holiness  are  felt  to  be  of  everlasting 
obligation.  Calvinism  is  sometimes  charged  with  being  aus- 
tere, over-strict  in  its  abstinence  from  worldly  pleasure  and 
standing  aloof  from  various  forms  of  indulgences.  It  is  con- 
fessed that  Calvinism  is  hardly  such  a  system  as  a  licentious  or 
even  a  self-indulgent,  superficial  and  God-rejecting  age  would 
deHght  in.  This  should  not  surprise  us,  Calvinism  is  too  hum- 
bling to  human  pride  and  it  calls  for  too  much  self-denial  not 
to  invite  hostility  from  unregenerate  men  and  from  professed 
Christians  who  have  little  taste  for  things  spiritual.  But 
let  us  judge  the  tree  by  its  fruits.  What  has  been  the  acknowl- 
edged fruitage  of  this  system?  Froude  declares  that  "The  Cal- 
vinist  abhorred,  as  no  other  body  of  men  ever  abhorred,  all 
conscious  mendacity,  all  impurity,  all  moral  wrong  of  every 
kind  so  far  as  they  could  recognize  it."     Says  he,  "Whatever 


19 

exists,  at  this  moment  in  England  and  Scotland  of  conscientious 
fear  of  doing  evil  is  the  remnant  of  the  convictions  which  were 
branded  by  the  Calvinists  into  the  people's  hearts."  As  illu.s- 
trating  the  type  of  character  produced  by  Calvinism,  Froude 
names  "Wilham  the  Silent,  Luther,  Knox,  Melville,  Admiral 
CoHgny,  Cromwell,  Milton  and  Bunyan. "  '  'These  were  men," 
he  says,  "possessed  of  all  the  qualities  which  give  nobility  and 
grandeur  to  human  nature — men  whose  lives  were  as  upright 
as  their  intellects  were  commanding  and  their  public  aims  un- 
tainted with  selfishness — unalterably  just  where  duty  re- 
quired them  to  be  stern,  but  with  the  tenderness  of  a  woman 
in  their  hearts;  frank,  true,  cheerful,  humorous — as  unlike 
sour  fanatics  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  and  able,  in  some  way 
to  sound  the  key-note  to  which  every  brave  and  faithful  heart 
in  Europe  instinctively  vibrated."  Presbyterianism  has  ever 
been  pre-eminently  associated  with  the  spirit  of  prayer,  of 
humble  and  deep  devotion,  and  has  been  productive  of  holy 
living  and  active  Christian  benevolence. 

Presbyterianism's  Stand  for  Education. 

From  the  very  beginning  John  Calvin  insisted  on  the  estab- 
lishment of  public  schools.  He  did  not  believe  that  "ignorance 
is  the  mother  of  piety."  Presbyterianism  has  been  characterized 
by  a  high  and  persistent  stand  for  popular  education.  Again 
in  Scotland  as  early  as  1558  John  Knox  urged  that  "for  the 
preservation  of  religion,  schools  should  be  universally  erected 
in  all  cities  and  towns."  Side  by  side  with  Calvinistic  Geneva 
and  Scotland  in  the  educational  vanguard  stood  Calvinistic 
Holland,  responding  nobly  to  the  memorable  words  of  John 
of  Nassau,  "You  must  urge  upon  the  States  General  that 
they  establish  free  schools."  Common  schools  were  established 
all  over  Calvinistic  Holland  and  Scotland,  and  the  Nether- 
lands, and  the  New  England  Pilgrims  found  them  there 
and  brought  with  them  to  America  the  same  great  system. 
Wherever  those  Pilgrims  from  Holland  and  Scotland  settled 
in  the  wilds  of  the  New  World,  there  the  school  house  was 
built  beside  the  church.  Unquestionably  in  America  we  are 
indebted  for  the  common  school  to  the  stream  of  influence 
which  flowed  from  Geneva  as  the  fountain  head,  through 
Scotland  and  Holland  to  the  American  colonies.  Not  only 
so,  but  the  early  provision  made  in  this  country  for  higher 
education  in  the  academies,  ''log  colleges,"  and  the  great 
colleges  is  due  largely  to  Calvinistic  influence.  The  Pres- 
byterian Encyclopedia  says,    "Calvinism  has  been  the  source 


20 

not  only  of  the  common  school  system ,  as  it  exists  in  our  own 
country,  but  of  almost  every  one  of  our  earlier  colleges  and 
universities." 

History  shows  that  for  three  hundred  years  Calvinists  were 
the  leaders  of  education  in  this  country  and  Europe.  It  must 
be  confessed  however,  and  sadly,  that  she  who  was  first  must 
now  take  the  third  place.  At  the  present  time  the  great  Metho- 
dist and  Baptist  churches  are  outstripping  the  Presbyterian  in 
this  matter  of  education.  On  this  memorable  occasion  I  plead 
with  our  Mother  Church  that  she  hasten  to  renew  her  zeal  in 
this  great  arm  of  Christian  service.  Self-preservation  demands 
it;  the  solution  of  the  vexed  question,  "Shall  education  be 
Christian  or  non-Christian?"  is  clearly  involved.  It  is  impera- 
tive because  of  the  undeniable  fact  that  Calvinism  is  adapted  to 
introduce  into  education  precisely  those  influences  for  which  the 
hour  calls,  namely,  a  sound  philosophy,  a  true  teaching  concern- 
ing God,  a  sound  in  doctrination  concerning  the  majesty  of  the 
law,  strong  moral  and  ethical  character,  builded  upon  the  convic- 
tion of  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  God.  In  the  light  of  our 
creeds,  in  the  light  of  history  and  existing  needs,  a  call,  loud  and 
strong  and  imperative,  is  sounded,  that  as  a  Church  we  take 
again  the  place  of  recognized  and  glorious  leadership  in  the 
great  work  of  education. 

Presbyterianism  Evangelistic. 

Again,  the  Presbyterian  faith ,  teaching  so  strenuously  the  im- 
mutability of  the  divine  decrees,  7nust  by  logic  of  that  belief  be- 
come evangelistic  in  its  efforts.  One  of  those  decrees  declared 
of  old  that  the  heathen  shall  be  given  to  the  Son  for  an  inher- 
itance, and  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  for  His  possession, 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow  and  that 
every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  was  the  Lord  to  the 
Glory  of  God,  the  Father  The  history  of  missionary  enter- 
prise in  the  world  shows  the  evangelistic  spirit  has  been  from 
the  beginning  active  and  prominent  in  the  Calvinist.  In  the 
sixth  century,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Apostle  of  Cale- 
donia, there  was  established  a  college  and  mission  station  on 
the  Island  of  lona,  "which  sent  out  preachers  all  over  Scot- 
land, to  parts  of  Britain,  France,  Germany  and  Switzerland, 
doing  more  for  three  centuries  to  spread  the  knowledge  of 
the  Gospel  than  all  other  agencies  combined."  About  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  we  read  that,  "Calvinism  en- 
tered Geneva,  and  in  thirty  years  under  the  inspiration  of 
her  modern  apostle,  had  founded  a  model  Bible  Church,  trans- 


formed  the  whole  city,  and  crystallized  a  type  of  Christianity 
which  became  at  once  expansive  and  aggressive."  Says 
Bancroft:  "More  benevolent  to  the  human  race  than  Solon, 
more  self-denying  than  Lycurgus,  the  genius  of  Calvin  infused 
enduring  elements  into  the  institutions  of  Geneva,  and  made  it 
for  the  modern  world  a  mighty  agency  for  evangelization." 
"And  while  the  Lutheran  Reformation,"  writes  another  his- 
torian, "travelled  very  little  out  of  Germany,  Calvinism  ob- 
tained a  European  character  and  was  accepted  in  all  countries 
that  received  a  reformation  from  without,  like  France,  the 
Netherlands,  Scotland,  and  even  England." 

It  made  such  marvellous  progress  in  France,  even  in  the 
face  of  bitter  and  relentless  persecution,  that  "within  sixty 
years  after  its  introduction  it  had  gathered  more  than  two 
thousand  congregations,  some  of  them  having  five  or  six  pas- 
tors each,  and  many  of  them  numbering  ten  thousand  com- 
municants." 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  oldest  Protestant  miss- 
ionary association  in  the  world,  excepting  the  Moravian 
brethren  "received  its  charter  from  William  the  III,  who  was 
a  Calvinist."  The  Church  of  Scotland  was  the  first  Church 
after  the  reformation  to  send  forth  missionaries  under  its  own 
appointment.  Missionary  enterprise  in  this  country  received 
its  earliest  impulse  in  a  college  that  was  under  the  presidency 
of  a  Calvinist.  The  modern  zeal  in  home  missions  was  born 
in  our  mother  Assembly,  and  by  no  other  Church  in  propor- 
tion to  its  numbers  is  the  missionary  work  more  vigorously 
and  successfully  prosecuted  at  home  and  abroad  than  by  our 
own  and  our  sister  Assembly  at  the  North.  The  best  proof 
of  the  evangelistic  power  of  Calvinism  is  furnished  in  the  sin- 
gle statement  that  the  Calvinistic  is  the  largest  of  all  the  Prot- 
estant faiths  on  the  globe.  This  statement  surprises  many 
of  our  own  people  because  they  forget  that  many  large  organ- 
izations both  in  Europe  and  America,  while  being  Calvinists, 
yet  are  not  so  styled.  They  may  be  called  Waldenses,  or  Bo- 
hemian, or  Dutch,  or  they  may  bear,  as  many  of  them  do, 
nothing  more  than  the  title  "Reformed,"  or  "Presbyterian," 
but  they  are  all  one  great  family,  all  truly  Calvinistic,  and 
when  the  number  of  adherents  of  these  different  branches  of 
the  one  family  are  enumerated  it  is  ascertained  that  the  Cal- 
vinistic is  by  far  the  largest  Protestant  communion  in  Christ- 
endom. 


22 
Calvinism  and  Civil  Liberty. 

Finally,  Calvinism  has  made  a  most  important  contribution  to 
civil  liberty .  It  has  developed  in  those  people  with  whom  it  has 
been  a  creed  and  life  power,  those  intellectual  and  moral  qual- 
ities without  which  a  free  government  were  forever  impossible. 

The  most  American  thing  in  all  America  to-day  is  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  A  great  historian  says,  "He  that  will  not 
honor  and  respect  the  influence  of  Calvin  knows  but  little  of 
American  Independence." 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  says:  "It  has  ever  been  a  mystery 
to  the  so-called  Liberals,  that  with  what  they  have  considered 
the  harshly  despotic  and  rigid  views  and  doctrines  of  the  Cal- 
vinists,  that  they  should  have  always  been  the  stanchest 
and  bravest  defenders  of  freedom. ' '  The  result  is  not  strange 
to  the  Calvinist  himself,  but  it  is  rather  the  inevitable  result 
of  his  principles. 

Beginning  with  the  postulate  that  all  men  are  equal  before 
the  law  of  God,  the  inference  is  easy  that  all  men  are  equal 
before  the  law  of  man,  hence  there  emerges  to  view  the  great 
axiom  of  modern  democracy,  that  all  men  are  created  equal 
and  vested  with  certain  inalienable  rights.  This  conviction 
even  among  the  humblest  born  who  cherished  it,  developed 
a  feeUng  of  pride,  a  sense  of  dignity  and  worth  that  enabled 
them  when  occasion  demanded  to  out-face  the  pride  of  nobles 
and  kings.  "It  transformed  the  hind  into  a  hero,  and  when 
the  days  of  fighting  came  it  filled  the  armies  of  Conde,  of  Wil- 
liam the  Silent,  and  of  Cromwell  with  yeomen,  artisans  and 
shopkeepers  fit  to  stand  before  the  chivalry  of  Europe." 
Another  principle  of  Calvinism  which  has  made  an  important 
contribution  to  civil  liberty  is  its  teachings  concerning  the 
freedom  of  conscience.  "That  God  only  is  Lord  of  the  con- 
science and  hath  left  it  free  from  the  doctrines  and  command- 
ments of  man,  which  are  in  anything  contrary  to  His  word 
or  beside  it  in  faith  or  worship. ' '  Calvinism  has  everywhere 
and  always  proclaimed,  "Resistance  to  tyrants  is  obedience 
to  God. ' '  Froude  says  of  this  people  during  the  trying  times 
of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries:  "When  all  else 
had  failed,  when  patriotism  had  covered  its  face  and  human 
courage  had  broken  down,  when  intellect  had  yielded  with  a 
smile  or  a  sigh,  when  emotion  or  sentiment  had  dreamed  them- 


n 

selves  into  a  forgetfulness  that  there  was  any  difference  be- 
tween lies  and  truth,  then  this  slavish  form  of  belief  called 
Calvinism  bore  an  inflexible  front  to  illusion  and  mendacity, 
and  preferred  to  be  ground  to  powder  like  a  flint  rather  than  to 
bend  before  violence  or  melt  under  the  oppression  of  tyranny 
of  any  sort,  from  any  source."  Tyrants  have  always  and 
rightly  regarded  Calvinists  as  their  natural  enemies.  Ejng 
James  I  said  at  Hampton  Court  Conference:  "Calvinism  agrees 
with  monarchy  as  well  as  God  and  the  devil. ' '  To  the  great 
Calvinist,  Melville,  James  said:  "There  never  will  be  quiet  in 
this  country  till  a  half-dozen  of  you  Calvinists  be  hanged  or 
banished."  "Tush,  sir,"  replied  Melville,  "threaten  your 
courtiers  in  that  manner.  It  is  not  within  your  power  to  exile 
God's  truth."  D'Aubigne  says:  "In  England  the  seeds  of 
liberty,  wrapped  up  in  Calvinism  and  hoarded  through  many 
trying  years,  were  at  last  destined  to  float  over  land  and  sea, 
and  to  bear  largest  harvests  of  temperate  freedom  for  great 
Commonwealths  that  were  still  unborn."  To  the  Calvinists, 
"more  than  to  any  other  class  of  men,  the  political  liberties 
of  Holland,  England  and  America  are  due. ' ' 

John  Knox  and  Liberty. 

Who  saved  the  liberties  of  England  and  Scotland  ?  Froude 
says,  "John  Knox  to  whose  teaching  they  (the  Scotch)  owe 
their  national  existence."  John  Knox's  co-laborers  in  sav- 
ing England  and  Scotland  were  almost  without  exception  en- 
thusiastic Calvinists.  The  same  author  again  says:  "The 
Calvinists,  know  as  Puritans,  the  Covenanters,  the  Round- 
heads, the  Presbyterians,  the  Independents,  when  the  people 
were  abandoned  to  the  lawless  fury  and  wrath  of  their  rulers, 
when  they  were  ruthlessly  plundered,  murdered,  and  hunted 
like  wild  beasts  from  place  to  place,  never  deserted  them;  for 
five  and  eighty  years  they  never  wavered,  but  were  always 
steady  to  the  good  cause,  and  always  on  the  side  of  the  people. ' ' 
"The  battle  of  Boyne  (1690) "  says  a  recent  writer,  "decided 
the  fate  of  Protestantism,  not  only  for  Great  Britian,  but  for 
America  and  for  the  world.  Had  WiUiam  been  defeated  there, 
Protestantism  could  not  have  found  a  safe  shelter  on  earth. ' ' 
Who  fought  this  battle?  On  one  side  was  James  II,  whom 
the  poet  Wordsworth  calls  the  "vacillating  bondsman  of  the 


24 

Pope."  ''The  world  has  never  seen  such  another  army  as 
that  commanded  by  WilUam  of  Orange.  The  entire  Calvin- 
istic  world  was  represented  in  it.  They  came  from  Holland, 
England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  France,  Prussia,  Finland,  Sweden 
and  Switzerland,  and  it  was  to  this  sect  that  the  English  owe 
the  whole  freedom  of  their  Constitution." 

A  Calvinistic  Revolution. 

To  the  advanced  principle,  viz:  "The  foundation  of 
authority  in  government  is  laid  in  the  free  consent  of  the 
governed."  And  when  the  Revolution  came,  it  was  the 
church  bell  on  the  Calvinistic  Meeting  House  of  Lexington 
that  rung  first  the  alarm  and  summoned  the  farmers  of 
New  England,  who  fired  "that  shot  which  was  heard  around 
the  world." 

The  Mecklenburg  Convention  of  May,  1775,  was  composed  of 
twenty-seven  staunch  Calvinists,  one-third  of  whom  were  elders 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Bancroft  says  of  this  declaration: 
'  'It  was  in  effect  a  declaration  of  independence  as  well  as  a  com- 
plete system  of  government."  It  is  generallv  believed  that 
Thomas  Jefferson's  celebrated  declaration  is  a  recast  of  this 
Mecklenburg  paper,  which  preceded  it  by  more  than  a  year. 
Moreover,  the  Continental  Congress  had  its  inception  in  a  call 
sent  out  by  the  Calvinists  of  New  York.  Need  I  tell  this 
audience  that  a  large  majority  of  those  determined  men,  who 
immortalized  themselves  by  signing  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, were  Calvinists?  There  is  no  more  dramatic  chapter 
in  our  history  than  the  hour  in  the  Continental  Congress  when 
it  faced  the  issue  of  signing  that  immortal  document.  Con- 
gress hesitated.  The  country  was  looking  on.'  Three  million 
hearts  were  violently  throbbing  in  intense  anxiety,  waiting  for 
the  bell  on  Independence  Hall  to  ring.  On  the  table  lay  the 
charter  of  human  freedom  in  the  presence  of  that  able  body  of 
statesmen — there  it  lay  with  its  clear-cut  utterances,  flinging 
defiance  in  the  face  of  opposition.  It  was  an  hour  when  strong 
men  trembled.  There  w^as  a  painful  silence.  In  the  midst  of 
this  silence.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  arose 
and  uttered  these  words:  "To  hesitate  at  this  moment  is  to 
consent  to  our  own  slavery.  That  notable  instrument  upon 
your  table  which  insures  immortality  to  its  author,  should  be 
subscribed  this  morning  by  every  pen  in  this  house.  He  that 
will  not  respond  to  its  accents  and  strain  every  nerve  to  carry 
into  effect  its  provisions  is  unworthy  the  name  of  freeman. 


25 

Whatever  I  have  of  property  or  reputation  is  staked  on  the  is- 
sue of  this  contest,  and,  although  these  gray  hairs  must  soon 
descend  into  the  sepulchre,  I  would  rather  that  they  descend 
thither  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner  than  desert  at  this  crisis 
the  sacred  cause  of  my  country. "  That  was  the  voice  of  John  Cal- 
vin in  Independence  Hall,  and  it  prevailed.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  immediately  signed  and  then  the  old  Liberty 
Bell  rang  out,  and  the  foundation  of  the  American  Republic 
was  forever  and  securely  laid.  The  early  history  of  our  mother 
country  is  written  large  with  Calvinistic  spirit  and  Calvinistic 
deed.  I  cannot  longer  tarry  upon  this  point,  but  let  those 
who  in  their  ignorance  of  their  country's  noblest  heritage  of 
blood,  who  find  their  cheap  pleasure  in  denunciation  of  the 
Puritan  and  Blue  Laws  of  the  olden  day,  stand  with  me  for  a 
moment  and  look  upon  that  monument  which  marks  the  char- 
acter of  those  illustrious  sires.  "On  the  brow  of  the  hill  over- 
looking the  bay  where  the  Mayflower  was  moored,  and  where 
the  waters  continue  to  beat  in  volleying  thunders,  or  in  musical 
laughter  upon  its  sands  there  rises  a  colossal  statue.  On  the 
four  corners  of  the  pedestal  repose  four  figures,  representing 
law,  morality,  freedom  and  education.  There  these  should 
rest  by  right.  But  above  these  stands  the  erect  figure  of 
Faith.  Thirty-six  feet  she  rises  from  the  foot,  which  rests 
upon  a  slate  from  Plymouth  Rock.  With  one  hand  she  grasps 
an  open  Bible,  and  with  the  other  in  graceful  gesture  she  points 
the  nation  up  to  God.  The  only  Book  she  opens  to  the  eyes 
of  the  nation  is  the  Bible.  And  so  it  should  be."  In  these 
days  of  greed  for  gold,  when  men  are  lovers  of  ease  and  pleasure 
rather  than  lovers  of  God,  it  is  well  for  us  to  take  our  children 
by  the  hand  and  stand  for  awhile  beside  the  altars  of  our 
fathers'  faith.  It  is  well  to  look  long  and  inquiringly  into  the 
faces  of  those  God-fearing  and  tyrant-despising  forefathers 
and  learn  the  secret  of  their  fortitude  that  braved  every  priva- 
tion, their  endurance  that  mastered  every  trial,  their  courage 
that  conqured  every  danger  and  handed  down  to  us  the  price- 
less heritage  of  our  country,  our  liberty,  both  civil  and  relig- 
ious. Yes,  it  is  well  for  us  to  look  into  those  strong  faces  of 
our  Puritan,  Dutch,  Huguenot  and  Scotch-Irish  forefathers, 
whose  very  virtues  have  become  a  by-word  among  the  ignorant, 
and  learn  that  the  secret  of  character — of  strong  and  enduring 
character — of  character  personal  and  national — is  to  build  it 
upon  the  Bible.  It  is  only  the  truth,  when  I  say  that  the 
Bible  holds  the  only  true  light  by  which  we  have  been  led  in  all 
our  advances  of  liberty  in  the  past;  and,  the  Bible  holds  the 


26 

only  true  light  by  which  we  can  make  any  progress  in  the  cause 
of  liberty  in  the  future. 

'  'God  of  our  Fathers,  known  of  old, 

Lord  of  our  far-flung  battle  line, 
Beneath  whose  awful  hand  we  hold 

Dominion  over  palm  and  pine; 
Lord,  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget,  lest  we  forget. 

'  'If  drunk  with  sight  of  power,  we  loose 
Wild  tongues  which  have  not  Thee  in  awe, 

Such  boasting  as  the  Gentiles  use; 
Or  lesser  breeds  without  the  Law, 

Lord,  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet. 

Lest  we  forget,  lest  we  forget. 

Sealed  with  the  Blood  of  the  Saints. 

Fathers  and  brethern,  I  have  presented  you  something  of 
the  genius   and  the   fruits  of    your    historic    Church;  she  is 
venerable  with    age,   she  bears  without  abuse  the   name  of 
"mother  Church."     We  may  well  honor  those  grand   prin- 
ciples of  our   historic   faith,   securing  as  they  do   the  unity 
of  Christ's  witnessing  church  under  all  dispensations,  to  the 
remote  past  and  to  the  end  of  time  and  through  the  cycles  of 
eternity.     The  Covenants  of  our  communion  have  been  sealed 
with  blood;  those  primitive  martyrs  who  were  stoned,  who 
were  sawn  asunder,  were  witnesses  for  the  principles  for  which 
we  stand  to-day,  they  were  hunted  from  crag  to  crag  of  their 
native  mountains,  were  hurled  by  their  persecutors  over  steep 
precipices  and  dashed  in  pieces  on  the  rocks  below.     "They 
loved  not  their  lives  to  the  death  for  Christ  and  His  crown." 
This  old  faith  has  come  down  to  us  with  her  vesture  like  that 
of   her   Lord,    crimsoned   with   blood.     The   most   illustrious 
martyrs,  the  most  renowned  confessors,  the  most  valiant  re- 
formers have  been  hers.     "The  King's  daughter  she  is,  all 
glorious  within,  her  clothing  is  of  wrought  gold."     Shall  we 
not  venerate  her  for  what  she  has  been;  shall  we  not  love  her 
for  what  she  is?     On  this  anniversary  occasion  let  us  fling 
forth  her  incrimsoned  banner  freshly  to  the  breeze.     Let  us 
with  redoubled  zeal  prosecute  her  evangelistic  work  until  her 
standards,  raised  in  the  name  of  her  glorious  Lord,  shall  wave 
victoriously  from  every  mountain  peak  and  every  vale  from 
the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.     Let  us  quit  us  Hke  men,  in  our 


11 

endeavor  to  establish  our  scriptural  faith  in  every  centre  of 
influence.  Let  us  pray  for  an  increased  baptism  of  the  Spirit. 
Let  us  gird  ourselves  for  one  mighty  and  sustained  effort  to 
establish,  enlarge,  and  perpetuate  the  measure  of  influence  of 
our  faith  throughout  the  world,  while  we  wait  the  announce- 
ment, "Behold,  the  bridegroom  cometh." 


The  Churches  History  Traced  Through 
the  Century* 


A  Sketch  read  by  the  Hon.  J.  Adger  Smyth, 
Sunday  Night,  May  2,  J  909. 


Looking  backwards  into  the  early  history  of  this,  "The 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,"  in  a  manual  edited  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Smyth  and  published  in  1838,  we  find  the  sermon 
preached  by  the  Rev.  Andrew  Flinn,  its  first  pastor,  at  its 
dedication  on  April  3,  1811.  The  subject  was  "God's  Per- 
petual Presence  In  and  Constant  Watchfulness  Over  His 
Church."  The  text  was  from  2  Chronicles  V.  20:  "That 
thine  eyes  may  be  open  upon  this  house,  day  and  night,  upon 
the  place  whereof  Thou  has  said,  that  Thou  wouldst  put  Thy 
name  there." 

After  describing  in  most  eloquent  words  the  dedication  by 
King  Solomon  of  "a  temple,  the  most  magnificent  and  splen- 
did ever  built  by  man,"  Dr.  Fhnn  pictures  the  King,  after 
reciting  "the  goodness  of  the  Lord,  and  his  faithfulness  to  his 
father,  David,  his  soul  being  overpowered  with  Divine  glory, 
bursting  out  into  that  wonderful  prayer  of  which  the  text  was  a 
part." 

In  closing  the  application  of  the  words  of  the  text  to  his 
church,  Dr.  Flinn  adds:  "My  brethren,  this  is  a  solemn  day  to 
you.  You  have  built  a  house  for  the  God  of  your  fathers. 
The  history  of  your  enterprise  is  short  and  simple.  It  origin- 
ated in  no  spirit  of  division  or  party  rancor .  With  your  brethren 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  city,  you  are  at  perfect 
peace,  and  they  are  at  peace  with  you.  The  growing  popula- 
tion of  our  city  called  for  another  place  of  worship.  You 
heard  the  call.  It  united  you  as  one  man.  Your  brethren  of 
other  churches  generously  strengthened  your  hands,  and  here 
is  the  house  you  have  built  and  offered  to  the  Lord.  May  the 
God  of  your  fathers  bless  you.  He  has  hitherto  prospered 
you,  for  this  spacious  edifice  has  been  erected  without  the  loss 
of  either  limb  or  life  among  the  workmen. 


29 

"Brethren  you  have  done  much,  but  much  more  remains  yet 
to  be  done.  You  have  built  a  house  for  the  Most  High  God! 
You  must  fill  it  with  devout  and  pious  worshippers.  Let  not 
your  seats,  left  empty  in  this  place  of  prayer,  testify  against 
you  in  the  day  of  eternity  that  you  have  here  neglected  the 
offers  of  mercy  and  turned  away  from  the  ordinances  of  God! 
Come  with  your  wives  and  children  to  this  house,  which  you 
have  built  for  the  Lord,  and  here  inquire  for  Jesus.  He  will 
meet  you  in  this  place  and  bless  you.  And  when  He  shall 
come  in  the  clouds  of  Heaven,  with  His  own  glory  and  the 
glory  of  His  Father,  may  we  all  be  received  into  His  presence. 
Having  finished  our  probation  here  may  we  all  be  translated 
to  the  temple  not  made  with  hands,  where  we  who  sow,  and 
you  who  reap,  shall  forever  rejoice  together." 

In  the  same  manual  are  two  discourses  preached  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Smyth,  the  pastor,  on  the  "History  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Charleston,  S.  C."  The  first  dis- 
course was  delivered  on  April  3,  1837,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
twenty-sixth  anniversary  of  the  church,  from  the  text  Haggai 
ii .  3 :  "  Who  is  left  among  you  who  saw  this  house  in  her  first 
glory,  and  how  do  you  see  it  now?" 

From  this  discourse  we  quote  interesting  facts.  Says  Dr. 
Smyth:  "It  is  the  duty  of  every  Church  and  of  the  whole  Church 
now  to  have  on  record  for  the  perusal  and  advantage  of  those 
who  may  come  after  them,  the  history  of  their  struggles,  their 
victories,  and  their  mercies.  The  older  members  of  this 
church  are  fast  passing  away,  and  in  a  little  while  the  places  of 
the  remaining  few,  who  saw  the  rise,  and  have  witnessed  the 
progress  of  the  church,  will  know  them  no  more  forever." 

Presbyterianism  in  this  State. 

"Presbyterians  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  South 
Carolina.  In  the  year  1704,  when  there  was  but  one  Episcopal 
congregation  in  the  whole  province,  the  dissenters  had  three 
churches  in  Charleston.  As  early  as  1690,  the  Presbyterians 
in  connection  with  the  Independents  formed  a  church  in 
Charleston,  which  continued  in  this  united  form  for  forty  years. 
During  this  period  two  of  its  ministers,  Revs.  Messrs.  Stobo 
and  Livingston,  were  Presbyterians,  and  were  connected  with 
the  Charleston  Presbytery.  After  the  death  of  the  latter, 
twelve  families  seceded,  and  formed  a  Presbyterian  Church  on 
the  model  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  In  1790  this  church, 
with  three  others  near  the  city,  were  incorporated  by  the 
Legislature  into  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston. 


30 

"In  1808  this  Presbytery  consisted  of  five  ministers  and 
seven  churches.  The  numbers  of  Presbyterians  in  Charleston 
increased  so  rapidly  that  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  was 
found  insufficient  to  accomodate  those  who  wished  to  worship 
there.  The  house  was  always  crowded,  seats  could  not  be 
procured,  except  after  long  delay,  and  the  pressing  necessity 
for  another  Presbyterian  Church  became  apparent.  As  early 
as  1804  this  necessity  was  realized  by  Dr.  Buist,  then  pastor 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  erection  of  another 
church  was  approved  and  encouraged  by  him.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Malcolmson  was  engaged  to  preach  and  take  charge,  but  he 
died  in  September,  1804,  and  the  enterprise  was  then  aban- 
doned. In  1809,  however,  the  determination  was  finally  car- 
ried into  effect  to  enter  upon  the  formation  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church.  On  Wednesday  evening,  February  8, 
1809,  fifteen  gentlemen  assembled  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Fleming,  and  entered  into  an  agreement  to  unite  their  efforts 
to  secure  a  suitable  building  for  a  Presbyterian  Church. 

Their  names  were  Benjamin  Boyd,  WilUam  Pressly,  John 
Ellison,  Archibald  Pagan,  George  Robertson,  James  Adger, 
Samuel  Robertson,  WiUiam  Walton,  Caleb  Way,  John  Robin- 
son, Alexander  Henry,  John  Porter,  Samuel  Pressly,  William 
Aiken,  Thomas  Fleming. 

"At  a  subsequent  meeting,  held  on  March  6,  1809,  a  paper 
for  the  support  of  a  minister  was  presented,  when,  by  the  sub- 
scription of  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  attendance  of  $100  each 
for  two  years,  more  than  a  sufficient  salary  being  thus  provided, 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  request  the  Rev.  Andrew  Flinn 
to  organize  and  take  charge  of  this  congregation  with  a  salary 
of  $2,000  per  annum. 

"Mr.  Flinn  having  accepted  this  call,  a  meeting  for  the 
formation  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  was  held  at 
Trinity  Church  on  Monday  evening,  April  24,  1809,  and 
committees  were  appointed  to  purchase  a  site  for  the  erection 
of  the  church,  and  to  obtain  subscriptions." 

Did  time  permit  it  would  be  interesting  to  record  here  the 
names  of  these  various  committees,  and  also  of  all  who  sub- 
scribed for  the  building,  as  they  are  all  mentioned  in  this  ser- 
mon. By  May  16,  1809,  the  plan  for  the  church  was  pre- 
sented by  William  Gordon,  who  was  appointed  to  build,  and 
entered  immediately  upon  the  work,  an  Act  of  incorporation 
having  been  obtained. 


31 

In  order  that  the  church  might  be  opened  for  the  reception 
of  Harmony  Presbytery  at  its  first  session  in  Charleston,  it  was 
dedicated  on  April  3,  1811,  by  a  sermon  from  the  Rev.  Andrew 
Flinn,  its  pastor,  and  formally  connected  with  the  ecclesiastical 
judicatories  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This  was  the  first 
session  ever  held  in  Charleston  of  a  Presbytery  connected  with 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States. 

The  Church  is  Built. 

Although  great  liberality  was  shown  by  the  founders  of  this 
church,  its  cost  far  exceeded  both  their  expectations  and  their 
means.  The  treasurer's  account  in  April,  1812,  showed  that 
the  sum  of  $55,548  had  been  expended,  and  that  a  large  ad- 
ditional amount  would  still  be  needed  to  carry  out  the  plans 
and  pay  the  debt  incurred.  Strenuous  efforts  were  made  to 
raise  the  amount,  but  notwithstanding,  in  June,  1816,  it  ap- 
peared that  the  sum  of  $31,156.25  was  still  due.  Though 
gradually  reduced,  in  April,  1823,  a  debt  of  $23,485  was  still 
hanging  over  the  church.  A  plan  was  then  adopted  of  trans- 
ferring the  whole  property,  and  the  temporal  jurisdiction  of  the 
church,  to  an  association,  who  would  assume  the  debt  as  their 
own,  engaging,  however,  that  the  Confession  of  Faith,  as 
authorized  by  the  General  Assembly,  should  ever  be  the  rule 
of  government  and  discipline  of  the  church.  This  plan  was 
adopted  in  August,  1823,  and  in  April,  1824,  the  committee  re- 
ported that  all  the  debts  of  the  church  had  been  paid.  The 
original  trustees,  in  whose  names  the  titles  of  the  church 
property  was  conveyed  to  this  association,  were  Messrs.  Wil- 
Uam  Smith,  John  Robinson,  James  Adger,  WiUiam  Aiken  and 
Richard  Cunningham.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  Smyth:  "Thus 
was  this  beautiful  temple,  at  the  cost  of  more  than  $100,000, 
finally  erected  and  delivered  from  all  incumbrances  by  the 
energy,  union  and  concerted  liberality  of  its  founders.  The 
spire  alone  remained  unfinished,  but  we  hope  in  due  time  it 
will  arise  to  its  destined  summit,  with  its  silent  finger  pointing 
to  the  skies,  and  thus  like  a  pyi-amid  of  fire  burning  heaven- 
ward give  increased  beauty  to  the  building  and  another  orna- 
ment to  our  city." 

Like  most  churches,  apparently  from  its  very  first  organiza- 
tion, the  income  never  seems  to  have  been  sufficient  to  cover  all 
its  necessary  expenses,  even  though  most  judiciously  and 
economically  administered. 


32 

Raising  tlie  Preacher's  Salary. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  standing  committee  in  April,  1813,  we 
find  that  the  clerk  reported  that  the  salary  of  the  minister  had 
not  been  fully  paid,  and  that  at  least  $1 .000  was  then  due  him. 
On  motion,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  the  president  was  authorized 
to  discount  a  note  of  the  corporation  in  the  bank  for  a  sum 
sufficient  to  pay  all  the  indebtness  of  the  church,  a  custom  fol- 
lowed for  many  years.  As  the  end  of  each  fiscal  year  ap- 
proached ,  the  month  of  April  saw  the  president  and  the  treas- 
urer anxious  and  worried,  because  they  could  not  make  "both 
ends  meet."  Then  a  special  committee  used  to  be  appointed 
each  year  to  visit  the  congregation  and  collect  enough  to  pay 
the  deficiency.  It  was  always  a  difficult  and  unsatisfactory 
task,  and  a  specially  onerous  one  to  the  committee.  In  1887 
the  objection  was  raised  to  this  committee  plan  that  they 
could  not  visit  every  member  of  the  congregation,  and  thus 
the  opportunity  to  assist  in  freeing  the  church  from  debt  was 
offered  to  only  a  few  members,  and  generally  to  the  same 
persons  every  year.  The  old  plan  was,  therefore,  discarded 
and  a  new  one  adopted.  On  a  Sabbath  morning  in  May,  pre- 
viously agreed  upon,  after  the  annual  meeting  of  the  corpora- 
tion and  with  the  approval  of  the  session,  a  special  collection 
was  taken  up  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  sermon  to  raise 
the  amount  needed  to  cover  the  deficiency  of  the  past  year. 
The  president  of  the  corporation  made  a  short  statement  of  the 
financial  condition,  and  every  member  of  the  congregation  was 
urged  to  give  something,  even  the  children  "did  what  they 
could,"  and  in  all  these  years  since  this  plan  was  adopted,  the 
whole  amount  needed  has  been  promptly  raised,  even  when  on 
more  than  one  occasion  the  sum  necessary  was  $1,800. 

In  1833,  it  having  been  found  after  several  years'  experience, 
that  the  immensity  of  the  church  auditorium  caused  unnatural 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  pastors  to  fill  it  with  their  voices,  and 
that  even  then  many  of  the  congregation  could  not  hear  the 
preacher,  a  series  of  alterations  were  decided  upon.  The  ceil- 
ing was  lowered,  the  floor  raised  and  a  part  of  the  main  audi- 
ence room  cut  off  to  form  the  inside  vestibule,  and  the  room  up- 
stairs so  long  used  as  a  Sunday-school  room. 

For  a  long  time  weekly  lectures  by  the  pastor  were  delivered 
at  the  private  houses  of  the  members,  but  in  January,  1820, 
the  corporation  authorized  the  session  to  procure  a  temporary 
building  for  a  suitable  lecture  room.  A  lot  of  land  was  leased 
on  Blackbird's  alley  (Burns'  lane)  at  $50  a  year, and  a  lecture 
room  erected  on  it  by  the  efforts  of  the  ladies  at  a  cost  of  $700. 


Pastor  1823-1827. 

From  a  Copperplate  Engraving  on  India  Paper  in  possession 
of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary, 
Columbia,  S.  C. 


33 


In  1835,  however,  it  was  determined  to  erect  a  more  sub- 
tantial  building  in  Society  street,  and  on  Sabbath  evening, 
March,  1837,  it  was  dedicated  in  the  presence  of  a  crowded  and 
deeply  interested  audience 

The  Pastors. 

The  Rev.  Andrew  Fhnn,  D.  D.,  was  the  first  pastor.  He 
was  called  in  February,  1809,  installed  in  April,  1811,  and  died 
February  24,  1820,  having  served  as  pastor  for  about  eleven 
years. 


The  Rev.  Artemus  Boies,  the  second  pastor,  was  elected  in 
April,  1821,  but  resigned  in  May,  1823,  having  been  pastor 
about  two  years.* 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Charlton  Henvy,  the  third  pastor,  was 
elected  in  November,  1823,  and  installed  in  January,  1824. 
He  died  October  5,  1827,  having  been  pastor  for  four  years. 

In  February,  1829,  the  Rev.  Wilham  Ashmead  was  called, 
and  accepted  in  March,  and  was  installed  in  May  of  the  same 
year.  He  went  to  Philadelphia,  with  the  intention  of  return- 
ing with  his  family,  but  his  health,  always  delicate,  gave  away, 
and  he  died  in  Philadelphia,  December  2,  1829,  having  been 
pastor  about  six  months. 

After  Mr.  Ashmead 's  death  the  church  sat  in  her  widow- 
hood for  several  years,  having  the  pulpit  filled  by  different 
ministers,  but  especially  by  her  tried  friend,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Gildersleeve. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth  was  just  graduating  from  Prince- 
ton Seminary  when  he  received  an  invitation  to  supply  the  pul- 
pit of  this  church  for  the  summer,  and  entered  upon  his  minis- 
terial labors  here  in  1831.  In  1832  he  received  a  permanent 
call,  but  was  not  installed  until  December,  1834.  He  died 
in  1873,  having,  as  he  said,  consecrated  all  his  energies  to  this 
church,  his  first  love,  as  his  long  and  useful  ministry  of  over 
forty  years  began  and  ended  with  her.  He  declined  many 
compHmentary  calls  from  the  college,  the  seminary  and  the 

*  Despite  every  endeavor,  no  portrait  of  Rev.  Artemas  Boies,  nor  of  the  Rev. 
Wm.  Ashmead  could  be  discovered;  Mr.  Boies'  signature  alone  was  recovered 
from  the  old  sessions'  book,  but  of  Mr.  Ashmead  not  even  an  authentic  signa- 
ture was  obtained. 


34 

editorial  chair,  saying:  "I  am  determined  to  live  and  die  with 
my  people."  Probably  more  than  one  thousand  members 
were  added  to  the  church  during  his  ministry,  at  least  thirty  of 
whom  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

In  May,  1871,  the  Rev.  G.  R.  Brackett,  D.  D.  was  called, 
and  in  1872  installed  as  pastor,  an  office  he  filled  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  a  united  and  loving  people  until  his  death,  in 
December,  1902,  a  period  of  over  thirty  years. 

The  Rev.  J.  Keir  G.  Fraser  was  called  as  pastor  on  February 
22,  1903,  and  installed  March  22,  1903,  and  still  fills  moat 
acceptably  the  sacred  office,  having  supplied  the  pulpit  since 
August  1,  1902. 

In  1874  it  was  found  that  a  new  roof  was  needed  for  the 
safety  and  preservation  of  the  Church,  and  $6,000  was  raised 
in  a  time  of  great  financial  stringency  for  that  purpose.  The 
ladies  of  the  church  contributed  $1,800  of  that  amount. 

Cyclone  and  Earthquake. 

In  the  great  cyclone  of  August  27,  1813,  this  church  sus- 
tained great  injury,  but  in  the  greater  cyclone  of  1885  it  re- 
ceived but  little  damage  compared  with  other  churches  in  our 
city.  In  the  memorable  earthquake  of  August  31,  1886,  this 
church  was  damaged  to  the  extent  of  about  $6,000.  Through 
the  generosity  of  friends  both  North  and  South  it  was  speedily 
repaired.  On  August  27,  1893.  it  again  suffered  severely  from 
the  cyclone  of  that  day.  The  building  was  completely  unroofed 
on  the  north  side,  the  pews  and  organ  deluged  with  water  and 
the  entire  ceiling  so  damaged  as  to  necessitate  its  removal. 
The  cost  of  the  repairs  was  $3,300,  less  the  insurance  of  $1,800. 
The  work  was  undertaken  immediately  and  on  November  26, 
1893,  Divine  worship  was  resumed  in  the  renovated  church. 
In  July,  1908,  the  entire  church  building  was  repainted  and 
repaired  and  the  Sunday  school  renovated,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$2,000,  and  by  January  15,  1909,  the  entire  amount  of  these 
improvements  had  been  paid  in  full. 

A  singular  coincidence  occurs  in  the  pastorates  of  the  three 
ministers  serving  as  pastors  to  the  three  Presbyterian  churches 
in  Charleston,  almost  contemporaneously. 

The  Rev.  John  Forrest,  D.  D.  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  known  as  the  Scotch  Church. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presb)rterian  Church,  known  as  Flinn's  Church. 

The  Rev.  W.  C.  Dana,  D.  D.  was  pastor  of  the  Third  Prea- 


35 

byterian  Church,  known  as  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church. 
Each  of  these  distinguished  ministers  served  their  respective 
churches  as  named  above  for  over  forty  years,  and  in  each  case 
they  were  never  pastor  of  any  other  church. 

The  Communion  Service  Preserved. 

The  silver  Communion  service  still  used  in  this  church  was 
the  gift,  as  we  are  informed,  of  Mrs.  John  Robinson,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  Stephen  Thomas,  who  was  the  first  treasurer 
of  this  church,  being  elected  in  1809.  The  chest  containing 
the  Communion  service  was  kept  in  the  family  of  one  of  the 
elders.  After  the  war  between  the  States  it  was  taken  care 
of  by  Mr.  C.  N.  Averill,  and  afterwards  by  Mr.  J.  N.  Robson 
for  many  years. 

When  the  city  was  shelled  during  the  war  the  chest  contain- 
ing this  silver  was  sent  to  the  Rev.  George  Howe,  D.  D.,  in 
Columbia,  for  safety,  but  in  some  way  he  was  not  informed 
of  the  contents  of  the  box,  and  along  with  probably  less  val- 
uable packages  it  was  placed  in  one  of  the  store  rooms  on  the 
premises.  Dr.  Howe's  house  was  not  destroyed  in  the  great 
fire  that  ravaged  the  city,  nor  was  it  plundered,  as  many  others 
were.  It  was  some  time,  probabty  a  year  or  more,  after  the 
close  of  the  war  that  Dr.  Howe  examined  several  packages 
in  this  store  room,  and  among  them  this  box.  Finding  that 
it  contained  the  Communion  service  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Charleston,  in  perfect  condition  he  at  once  for- 
warded it  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smyth,  its  pastor.  When  used 
for  the  first  time,  more  than  a  year  after  the  war  had  ended. 
Dr.  Smyth  told  the  history  of  its  remarkable  preservation  and 
restoration  and  offered  a  special  prayer  of  thanksgiving. 

Two  glorious  and  striking  features  most  forcibly  present 
themselves  as  we  review  the  history  of  this  church.  Its  miss- 
ionary spirit.  Its  wonderful  work  in  educating  young  men 
for  the  ministry. 

As  it  has  been  arranged  for  separate  papers  to  give  in  de- 
tail the  history  of  the  work  of  this  church  in  both  these  fields, 
at  this  time,  we  will  speak  very  briefly  of  either. 

Foreign  Missions. 

Foreign  missions  have  always  occupied  the  supreme  place 
in  the  hearts  of  this  people,  and  the  largest  amount  in  our 
yearly  benevolent  collections  has  always  been  given  to  this 
cause. 


36 

No  minister  has  ever  been  more  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  missionary  spirit  than  Dr.  Smyth,  When  pursuing  his  col- 
legiate studies  in  Ireland,  he  expected  to  enter  the  missionary 
field  himself,  but  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  earnest  de- 
sire by  the  failure  of  his  health.  Just  on  the  point  of  starting 
on  a  missionary  tour  in  Florida  in  1831  he  was  arrested  by 
the  invitation  to  supply  this  pulpit.  In  1832,  sometime  be- 
fore his  installation,  he  organized  our  Juvenile  Missionary 
Society,  and  began  the  publication  of  a  juvenile  missionary 
paper.  No  doubt  others  present  here  besides  the  writer  recall 
the  quarterly  meetings  of  this  juvenile  society,  which  were 
held  in  the  lecture  room  on  Society  street,  and  were  always 
largely  attended  and  extremely  interesting.  Each  member 
of  the  Society  was  furnished  with  a  card  for  collections  with 
spaces  for  the  names  and  amounts  given  by  each  contributor. 
There  was  a  prize  book  offered  to  the  one  whose  card  show- 
ed the  largest  amount,  and  great  exertions  were  made  to  win 
it.  Exhibitions  of  idols  and  other  curiosities  from  heathen 
lands  were  shown,  short  talks  were  made,  and  Major  R.  C.  Gil- 
christ, then  little  more  than  a  boy  himself,  kept  us  little  fellows 
wildly  excited  by  the  machines  of  his  own  make  that  were 
shown  by  him,  such  as  railroad  engines  that  made  steam  and 
pulled  cars,  fire  engines  that  made  steam  and  threw  a  stream  of 
water,  etc. 

Helped  to  Educate  Ministers. 

The  Ladies'  Education  Society  was  organized  by  the  Rev. 
A.  Boies  in  1821,  and  has  continued  its  work  ever  since.  It 
has  aided  about  seventy-seven  students  in  their  theological 
studies  and  raised  over  $40,000.  No  human  brain  or  pen  can 
compute  the  wonderful  results  of  their  self-sacrificing  labors. 
Not  until  this  noble  band  of  earnest  workers  are  all  finally 
gathered  into  that  glorious  congregation,  that  no  man  can 
number,  who,  with  palms  in  their  hands,  their  robes  washed 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  are  swelling  that  magnificent 
volume  of  song,  as  they  join  in  praise  and  thanksgiving,  will 
they  know  what  they  have  accomplished,  as  their  crowns 
sparkle  with  the  many  stars  they  have  won  for  their  Maker. 

This  church  has  always  manifested  a  deep  and  affectionate 
interest  in  the  religious  instruction  of  the  colored  people. 
They  formed  a  large  part  of  its  membership,  and  filled  the 
north  gallery  of  the  church.  In  a  manual  of  this  church  pub- 
lished in  1854  we  find  the  names  of  its  members,  both  white 
and  colored,  from  the  year  1811,  showing  790  whites  and  236 
oolored,  or  a  total  of  1,026. 


37 

The  Colored  Members. 

Of  that  number  there  were  then  alive,  and  members  in  1854, 
399  whites  and  204  colored,  or  a  total  of  603. 

In  this  manual  published  in  1854  there  is  the  following  no- 
tice for  the  colored  members: 

"Besides  the  services  held  at  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  on  which  colored  persons  should  attend,  and  the  Com- 
munion service,  in  which  all  the  colored  as  well  as  the  white 
members  are  expected  to  participate,  there  are  special  services 
for  colored  persons  at  the  church  in  Anson  street  under  the 
ministry  of  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau  as  follows:  On  Sab- 
bath. 1.  Sunrise  prayer  meeting.  2.  Regular  service,  in- 
cluding preaching  at  10.30  A.  M.  3.  Regular  service  with 
preaching  at  usual  afternoon  hour.  4.  Sabbath  school  im- 
mediately after  afternoon  service.  5.  Prayer  meeting,  Mon- 
day evening.  6.  Tuesday  evening,  instruction  of  those 
wishing  to  join  the  church. ' ' 

Dr.  Smyth  was  accustomed  to  prepare  special  sermons  for 
these  colored  members,  besides  holding  appropriate  services 
during  the  week,  and  as  a  pastor  to  minister  to  their  spiritual 
needs,  especially  in  sickness  or  sorrow.  He  was  a  warm  sup- 
porter of  the  Zion  Colored  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  the 
Rev.  J.  B.  Adger  was  the  first  pastor,  followed  by  the  Rev. 
J.  L.  Girardeau.  The  valuable  church  building  on  Calhoun 
street,  built  largely  by  the  white  members  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  still  called  the  Zion  Presbyterian 
Church,  is  held  in  trust  to  this  day  by  a  board  of  trustees,  and 
is  still  gratuitously  furnished  to  the  colored  people  as  a  place 
of  worship  for  Presbyterians. 

The  Lord's  Supper. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  war,  (1861)  the  communicants  de- 
siring to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  left  their  pews  and  sat 
on  benches  at  tables  placed  along  the  aisles  of  the  church,  the 
tables  being  covered  with  long,  white  cloths.  The  white  mem- 
bers occupied  the  tables  first,  and  after  they  were  seated,  and 
the  pastor  had  given  the  elements  into  the  hands  of  the  elders, 
they  passed  them  reverently  to  the  members  at  the  tables. 
Sometimes  it  was  necessary,  after  those  first  seated  had  been 
served,  for  them  to  retire,  and  a  second  installment  of  white 
communicants  to  be  seated,  and  to  be  served  by  the  elders. 

As  stated  above,  this  church  had  a  large  number  of  colored 
members,  who  were  divided  into  classes,  each  class  in  charge 


3d 

of  a  colored  man  of  good  repute,  who  was  called  a  class  leader. 
He  was  responsible  for  the  behavior  of  each  of  the  members 
of  the  class,  and  reported  to  the  session  of  the  church  any  mis- 
demeanors or  unworthy  conduct  on  their  part,  and  they  were 
disciplined  by  order  of  the  session.  On  the  morning  of  Com- 
munion Sunday  these  class  leaders  distributed  to  each  member 
of  his  class,  who  was  considered  worthy,  a  token,  which  was  a 
small  medal  like  a  coin,  with  the  picture  of  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church  stamped  on  it. 

These  tokens  were  handed  by  the  class  leaders  to  the  col- 
ored communicants  as  they  came  down  from  the  gallery  to 
take  their  places  at  the  same  tables  from  which  the  white  com- 
municants had  just  retired.  After  they  were  seated,  the 
white  elders  passed  round  and  collected  the  tokens,  so  as 
to  be  sure  that  only  those  entitled  to  be  present,  had  come 
forward.  Then  the  colored  members  were  served  by  the  white 
elders  with  the  same  bread  from  the  same  silver  platters,  and 
with  the  same  wine  from  the  same  silver  goblets.  These 
colored  communicants  then  remained  seated  during  the  pas- 
tor's address  in  closing  the  service,  and  after  the  benediction 
slowly  and  reverently  dispersed. 

Originally  these  tokens  were  distributed  to  the  white  members 
at  the  preparatory  service  on  Saturday  afternoon,  just  pre- 
ceding the  Communion  Sunday,  or  if  any  one  was  not  then 
present,  they  could  be  obtained  from  one  of  the  elders.  On 
the  Sabbath  they  were  collected  by  the  elders  after  the  commu- 
nicants were  seated.  This  custom,  as  to  the  white  members, 
was  discontinued  in  1830,  but  was  continued  with  the  colored 
members  until  the  war  in  1861. 

Until  this  period,  (1861)  a  sweet  toned  bell  hung  in  our 
steeple,  and  was  rung  on  the  Sabbath  a  half  hour  before  each 
service,  summoning  the  congregation  to  worship.  The  ori- 
ginal bell  was  cracked  in  ringing  an  alarm  of  fire,  but  a  new 
bell  was  placed  in  the  steeple  in  1850,  being  the  gift  of  Fleet- 
wood Lanneau,  Esq.  It  was  taken  down,  as  were  the  bells 
in  all  the  other  churches,  including  the  beautiful  chimes  of 
St.  Michael's,  and  sent  to  Columbia,  and  given  to  the  Govern- 
ment to  be  cast  into  cannon. 

Sunday  School  Organized. 

The  Sunday  school  of  this  church  was  organized  in  the  year 
1818,  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  E.  Hahnbaum.  It  was  the 
second  Sunday  school  organized  in  the  city  of  Charleston.     It 


Pastor  1831-1873. 


From  an  Engraving,  by  W.  &  A.  K.  Johnston,  Edinburgh,  frontispiece  to 

Dr.   Smyth's  "Unity  of  the  Races."  published  by 

Johnstone  &  Hunter,  Edinburgh, 

1851. 


39 

has  long  been  under  the  control  of  the  session  of  the  church, 
and  has  proved  itself  indeed  "the  nursery  of  the  church." 
For  many  years  the  pastor  has  been  present  at  its  sessions, 
lecturing  on  the  lesson  to  the  adults  of  the  congregation,  thus 
realizing  the  idea,  so  long  advocated  by  Dj,  Smyth,  of  having 
the  afternoon  service  ' '  a  teaching  service  for  the  whole  church . " 
In  1881,  the  need  of  a  new  and  fnore  convenient  Sunday 
school  building,  which  had  long  been  felt  created  so  much 
interest  that  steps  were  taken  to  raise  funds  for  the  erection 
of  such  a  building.  A  society  was  organized  called  the  Sun- 
day School  Workers,  composed  almost  entirely  of  the  ladies 
and  children  of  the  Sunday  school  and  congregation,  and  in 
a  few  years  they  had  raised  about  $3,000.  This  so  stimulated 
the  men  of  the  churc)}.  that  very  soon  the  present  Sunday 
school  building  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  May,  1887. 

The  building  and  lot  cost    about  $12,000,  and  the  entire  ^ 
amount  has  been  paid  in  full,  long  ago. 

The  following  ministers  assisted  Dr.  Smyth  at  different  pe- 
riods of  his  ministry,  when  he  was  disqualified  by  infirmity 
from  discharging  the  more  active  duties  of  the  pastorate. 
Their  faithful  labors  are  held  in  grateful  remembrance  to  this 
day: 

The  Rev.  Henry  M.  Smith,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  D.  L.  Buttolph,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  James  McDowell,  D.  D. 

The  Rev.  Hampden  C.  DuBose. 

Jubilee  Service. 

A  programme  was  arranged  by  Dr.  Smyth  with  the  appro- 
val and  co-operation  of  the  session,  the  deacons  and  the  cor- 
poration of  the  church  for  the  jubilee  services  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  dedication  of  the  church 
to  be  held  in  May,  1861.  A  circular  was  prepared  in  1860 
stating  this  desire,  and  proposing  that  the  celebration  con- 
sist of  a  protracted  meeting,  say  of  nine  or  ten  days,  commen- 
cing on  the  2d  of  May,  1861;  of  services  of  different  kinds  each 
evening,  discourses  and  short  papers  or  addresses  from  minis- 
ters and  laymen  who  had  in  any  way  been  connected  with 
this  church;  of  a  Sunday  school  celebration;  of  the  creation 
of  a  memorial  fund,  and  of  the  publication  of  a  memorial  vol- 
ume. This  circular  was  signed  by  the  following  joint  commit- 
tees: 


40 

Session— The  Rev.  T.  Smyth,  D.  D.,  R.  C.  Gilchrist. 

Deacons — W.  J.  Smith,  William  Dewees. 

Corporation — C.  H.  Simonton,  T.  G.  Budd,  James  Dilling- 
ham, W.  J.  Johnson.  Geo.  H.  Moffett. 

This  joint  committee  approved  an  elaborate  programme  of 
the  proposed  celebration,  prepared  by  the  pastor.  It  provided 
for  the  inviting  of  some  twenty-five  ministers,  connected  at 
different  times  with  this  church,  to  take  part  in  the  services, 
and  special  days  and  topics  were  assigned  to  each  of  them. 
Services  were  to  be  held  every  evening  except  Saturday,  and 
on  Friday  evening-^  there  were  to  be  social  gatherings  and  re- 
freshments. One  evening  was  to  be  devoted  to  a  musical 
festival  to  be  held  in  the  church  under  the  management  and 
supervision  of  the  choir,  and  to  the  reading  of  a  history  of  the 
choir.  Other  similar  services  were  to  be  held  on  the  other 
evenings . 

The  platform  provided  for  the  following  purposes: 

1 .  The  erection  of  a  monument  to  the  founders  of  the  church, 

2.  A  memorial  subscription  to  the  church  fund. 

3.  A  collection  to  complete  the  steeple  and  erect  a  library. 

4.  A  collection  for  parochial  schools. 

5.  A  collection  for  a  parsonage. 

6.  A  collection  to  erect  a  lecture  room. 

The  first  plan  was  to  have  these  services  commence  on  the 
Sunday  nearest  the  3d  of  April,  so  as  to  commemorate  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  dedication  of  the  church,  which  took  place 
on  the  3d  of  April,  1811.  It  was  therefore  determined  to 
have  this  celebration  on  Sunday,  March  31,  1861.  The  ser- 
vices on  that  day  were  adapted  to  commemorate  this  dedication. 
The  pastor  (Dr.  Smyth)  preached  appropriate  sermons,  both 
in  the  morning  and  in  the  afternoon.  In  the  evening  Mr. 
Fleetwood  Lanneau  delivered  an  historical  address,  giving  a 
full  and  comprehensive  review  of  the  history  of  this  church 
to  a  large  and  attentive  audience. 

War  Times. 

Fort  Sumter  was  bombarded,  burnt  and  captured  on  April 
13  and  14  succeeding,  and  war  having  commenced  very  short- 
ly afterwards,  probably  fifty  men  connected  with  this  congre- 
gation were  from  time  to  time  summoned  to  the  camps  and 
batteries  on  the  Islands  adjacent  to  our. city. 

Probably  for  this  reason,  or  perhaps  with  the  hope  that  the 
many  ministers  who  had  agreed  to  take  part  in  the  celebration 


*1 

but  found  it  almost  impossible  to  be  present  earlier,  the  fur- 
ther celebration  was  postponed  to  Sunday,  May  5,  1861 .  How- 
ever these  ministers  were  still  unable  to  be  present,  as  almost 
every  one  felt  called  upon,  either  to  go  with  our  troops  as 
chaplains,  or  to  join  the  home  guard  companies.  In  this  old 
boqk  are  letters  giving  these  reasons  for  their  inability  to  take 
part  in  the  jubilee  services  and  expressing  great  regret  from 
the  following  clergymen:  The  Rev.  Arnold  W.  Miller,  the 
Rev.  D.  L  Buttolph,  the  Rev.  C.  A.  Stillman,  the  Rev.  W.  J. 
McCormick,  the  Rev.  A.  FUnn  Dickson,  the  Rev.  S.  H.  Dick- 
son, the  Rev.  J.  E.  White,  the  Rev.  A.  M.  Small,  the  Rev. 
W.  B.  Corbett,  the  Rev.  W.  Fhnn. 

The  record  shows,  however,  that  continued  services  were 
held  on  Sabbath,  May  5,  1861,  specially  adapted  to  the  semi- 
centennial celebration.  The  pastor  (Dr.  Smyth)  preached  in 
the  morning  from  the  text:  "Ye  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year, 
a  jubilee  shall  that  year  be  to  you."  In  the  afternoon  the 
Rev.  Dr.  E.  T.  Buist  delivered  an  excellent  discourse,  and  in 
the  evening  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Girardeau  gave  a  most  interesting 
address,  containing  his  personal  recollections  of  this  church, 
its  Sabbath  school,  revivals,  pastors,  etc. 

Among  the  men  of  the  church  who  were  absent  in  camp  was 
Major  R.  C.  Gilchrist,  the  superintendent  of  our  Sunday  school. 
The  intended  festival  for  the  children  could  not  be  carried  out. 
Indeed,  butter  had  become  very  scarce  and  almost  impossible 
to  get,  while  cake,  ice  cream  and  candies  were  so  costly  as  to 
be  out  of  reach. 

So  also  with  the  expected  protracted  services.  The  absence 
of  the  ministers  rendered  them  impracticable. 

Says  Dr.  Smyth,  "I  hope  the  next  jubilee  will  be  celebrated 
under  more  propitious  circumstances,  under  the  halcyon  reign 
of  that  peaceful,  prosperous  and  united  Confederacy,  for  which 
we  are  now  imperilling  life,  sacrificing  comfort  and  security, 
and  living  in  hourly  anticipation  of  the  worst  possible  evils." 

The  continued  services,  as  stated  in  the  following  notice 
from  the  Charleston  morning  paper,  took  place  on  Sunday, 
May  12,  1861. 

Jubilee  Celebration — Second  Presbyterian  Church. 

"The  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau  will  repeat,  in  the  above  church 
to-morrow  morning,  at  the  usual  hour  of  morning  service,  the 
discourses  prepared  by  him  on  the  occasion  of  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  this  church,  in  accordance  with  its  request. 


42 

In  the  afternoon  there  will  be  service  for  the  children.  In 
the  evening  a  reunion  meeting  will  be  held,  service  commenc- 
ing at  8  o'clock.  On  this  occasion  many  papers  will  be  read, 
including  recollections  of  Dr.  Flinn,  memoirs  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Boies,  histories  of  Glebe  Street  and  Zion  churches,  recollec- 
tions of  the  revival  in  1836,  etc." 

The  Rev.  J.  L.  Girardeau  delivered  an  admirable  discourse 
in  the  morning,  his  own  people  being  present,  and  the  congre- 
gation being  a  very  large  one. 

The  services  for  the  children  were  held  in  the  afternoon,  and 
in  addition  to  the  white  children,  there  were  about  300  colored 
children  in  the  gallery.  Many  hymns  were  sung,  the  first 
being  one  written  for  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Fleetwood  Lanneau. 
Then  Dr.  Smyth  preached  a  sermon  specially  adapted  to  the 
children.  In  the  evening  the  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  L.  Girardeau 
and  Pickens  Smith  were  with  the  pastor  in  the  pulpit,  and 
took  part  in  the  services  and  in  the  reading  of  the  following 
papers: 

1.  Recollections  of  Dr.  Andrew  Flinn,  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Woodridge. 

2.  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Artemas  Boies,  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Woodridge. 

3.  History  of  Glebe  Street  Church. 

4.  History  of  Zion  Church. 

5.  Recollections  of  the  revivals  of  1835  and  1836,  by  the 
Rev.  Charles  Stillman. 

On  Monday  evening.  May  13,  1861,  the  choir  had  prepared 
an  attractive  programme  of  some  sixteen  chants  and  hymns, 
the  names  of  which  are  all  given,  and  Mr.  Fleetwood  Lanneau 
was  ready  to  deliver  an  address,  containing  "Reminiscences 
of  the  Choir,"  when  suddenly  a  most  violent  thunder  storm, 
accompanied  by  a  whirlwind  of  dust  and  rain  swept  over  the 
city  and  effectually  prevented  the  gathering  of  an  audience, 
and  that  part  of  the  celebration  was  indefinitely  postponed. 
On  Sabbath,  June  2,  1861,  the  Rev.  Ferdinand  Jacobs  preached 
two  sermons,  one  in  the  morning  and  the  other  in  the  afternoon, 
which  he  had  prepared  for  the  Semi-Centennial,  and  which 
Dr.  Smyth  reports,  he  had  then  with  others  to  be  inserted  in 
the  memorial  volume  they  expected  to  publish,  but  this  cher- 
ished wish  was  never  carried  into  effect. 

In  the  old  minutes  of  Sessions  running  from  1852  to  1867, 
from  whose  records  the  facts  given  herein  about  the  Semi- 
centennial, or  jubilee  services  were  taken,  are  found  some  very 
touching  incidents. 


43 

At  the  last  Communion  held  in  this  church  on  May  11,  1862, 
no  elders  of  this  church  were  present,  nor  did  they  have  in 
use  their  own  Communion  service,  as  it  had  been  sent  to  Col- 
umbia for  safety. 

The  pastor,  (Dr.  Smyth)  says:  "A  very  sad  and  solemn 
season.  Elders  Harrall,  Enslow  and  Stillman,  from  Glebe 
Street  Church  were  present  with  their  Communion  service, 
as  ours  had  been  removed,  and  the  communicants  occupied 
the  pews,  as  the  table  linen  had  also  gone." 

On  this  occasion,  and  the  preceding  Communion,  the  col- 
ored communicants  occupied  the  back  pews,  and  communed 
at  the  same  time  as  the  whites. 

It  is  also  recorded  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Dea- 
cons, held  near  the  end  of  May,  1861,  it  was  ordered  that  all 
disposable  funds  on  hand  should  be  invested  in  Confederate 
bonds. 

The  Manse, 

That  this  Second  Presbyterian  Church  now  owns  a  comfort- 
able manse  for  the  residence  of  its  pastor,  is  owing  to  the  zeal 
and  devotion  of  two  young  ladies  who  were  members  of  this 
church. 

Some  years  ago  a  Manse  Society  was  organized  by  Miss  Mar- 
garet and  Miss  Agnes  Adger,  the  first  of  whom  afterwards 
became  Mrs.  W.  S.  Manning,  and  the  other  Mrs.  H.  E.  Rave- 
nel,  and  a  manse  fund  started.  For  various  reasons,  chiefly 
because  of  the  marriage  and  removal  to  Spartanburg  of  both 
these  ladies,  the  congregation  seem  to  have  lost  interest  in 
the  manse  question,  and  nothing  was  done  about  it  for  some 
years.  The  manse  fund,  however,  that  had  been  collected 
by  these  two  ladies  was  watched  over  and  cared  for  by  Mr. 
H.  E.  Ravenel,  in  whose  hands  they  had  placed  it. 

On  January  13,  1904,  the  corporation  of  the  church  was 
notified  by  Mr.  A.  T.  Smythe  that  there  was  then  a  fund, 
consisting  of  the  amount  collected  by  these  two  ladies,  which 
with  accrued  interest,  amounted  to  $2,178.53,  and  had  been 
mcreased  by  recent  collections  to  $2,433.65,  and  that  this  sum 
was  available  for  the  purchase  of  a  manse  for  the  Second  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

On  motion  a  committee  of  five  to. devise  and  work  for  this 
object  and  report  again  to  the  corporation  was  appointed  by 
the  president,  consisting  of  Messrs.  A.  T.  Smythe,  Hall  T. 
McGee,  R.  E.  Seabrook.  J.  W.  Robson  and  W.  S.  Allan. 

On  May  the  2d,  1904,  this  committee  reported  progress  to 


the  corporation,  and  the  whole  matter  was  referred  back  to 
the  same  committee. 

On  January  16,  1905,  the  committee  reported  to  the  corpo- 
ration that  two  of  their  numbers,  Messrs.  Smythe  and  McGee, 
had  purchased  for  $3,800  a  convenient  house,  No.  49  Pitt 
street  just  below  Calhoun  street.  They  desired  it,  however, 
understood  that  if  the  corporation  did  not  wish  to  accept  the 
property,  the  sub-committee  was  ready  to  hold  it  as  their  own. 
On  motion  the  corporation  unanimously  accepted  the  property. 
No.  49  Pitt  street  for  a  manse,  costing,  with  repairs,  taxes, 
etc,  $4,721.93  and  returned  their  thanks  to  Messrs.  Smythfe 
and  McGee. 

In  May,  1905,  the  president  reported  to  the  corporation 
"that  the  manse  fund"  amounted  to  $2,685.  The  chairman 
of  the  special  committee,  Mr.  A.  T.  Smythe,  reported  that  in 
accordance  with  the  resolution  adopted  by  the  corporation, 
January  16,  1905,  the  property,  No.  49  Pitt  street,  had  been 
purchased  for  a  manse  for  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  had  arranged  with  the  Carolina  Savings  Bank  to  borrow 
$2,000  on  a  mortgage  of  the  house  and  lot,  to  cover  balance 
of  the  purchase  money  and  the  repairs.  At  the  meeting  res- 
olutions of  sincere  thanks  to  Mrs.  Manning  and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
H,  E.  Ravenel  for  their  devoted  services  in  raising  and  caring  for 
the  manse  fund  for  so  long  a  time  were  unanimously  adopted. 

About  a  year  ago  this  bond  and  mortgage  of  $2,000  was 
paid  in  full  by  two  members  of  this  church,  and  the  manse  is 
now  free  from  all  incumbrances. 

To  the  ladies  of  the  Manse  Society  of  the  church  is  due  the 
success  of  this  enterprise,  as  they  responded  always  to  every 
call  for  money  to  pay  interest  on  the  mortgage,  insurance, 
etc.  At  the  earnest  request  of  the  corporation  it  is  hoped  that 
they  will  still  have  the  care  of  the  property. 

The  Church  Choir. 

Among  the  interesting  old  papers  read  recently  is  an  address 
delivered  by  Mr.  Fleetwood  Lanneau,  entitled  "Recollections 
of  our  Choir."  He  tells  us  that  Mr.  James  Badger,  was  our 
first  chorister,  and  conducted  the  singing  on  the  day  the  church 
was  dedicated,  with  the  assistance  of  several  leaders  of  the 
other  church  choirs,  four  of  whom  were  still  hving  at  the  time 
of  the  Semi-centennial  in  1861.  One  of  them  Mr.  Guerry, 
succeeded  Mr.  Badger  as  our  chorister. 

In  those  days  the  leader  of  the  church  choir  discharged  also 


45 

the  duties  of  the  sexton.  The  valuable  and  most  indispensa- 
ble assistance  of  female  voices  was  unknown  at  the  time  this 
church  was  dedicated,  and  but  little  attention  was  paid  to  the 
study  of  vocal  music.  The  help  of  a  few  male  singers  was  all  a 
leader  could  obtain  to  make  up  a  choir,  and  not  unfrequently  he 
alone  would  be  competent  to  read  music  correctly,  or  sustain  an 
independent  part.  Mr.  Badger  was  a  competent  and  enthusi- 
astic chorister,  holding  weekly  meetings  at  his  residence  for 
instruction  and  rehearsal.  Mr.  George  E.  Hahnbaum,  the 
first  superintendent  of  our  Sabbath  school,  was  another  en- 
thusiast about  the  promotion  of  church  music,  and  a  valuable 
assistant  to  Mr.  Badger.  In  1822,  Mr.  Badger  resigned  the 
leadership  of  the  choir  and  Mr.  Guerry  was  elected  to  that 
office  and  served  for  two  years,  being  succeeded  in  1824  by 
Dr.  Nash. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  violincello  was  introduced  into 
the  choir.  Quite  a  number  of  the  congregation  were  old- 
fashioned  in  their  views  about  the  services  of  the  church,  and 
not  favorably  disposed  to  the  introduction  of  instrumemtal 
music.  We  have  heard  that  on  one  Sunday  morning,  when 
the  choir,  gathered  in  the  gallery,  they  were  surprised  to  find 
the  viohncello  securely  locked  to  one  end  of  the  gallery  with 
a  chain  and  padlock,  and  the  bow  fastened  firmly  to  the  other 
end  of  the  gallery.  No  one  knew  who  had  thus  practically, 
but  effectually,  protested  against  instrumental  music,  but 
there  was  no  playing  of  the  violincello  that  Sunday,  or  for 
several  Sundays  thereafter. 

Mr.  Nash  resigned  in  1826,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Wheel- 
er, who  served  until  1828,  when  Mr.  Roe  took  charge  of  the 
choir  for  several  years,  but  left  to  be  organist  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Mr.  Thomas  R.  Vardell  and  Mr.  Fleetwood  Lanneau  were 
then  appointed  to  jointty  conduct  the  singing  until  the  ensuing 
anniversary,  at  which  time  the  offices  of  clerk  and  sexton, 
heretofore  united,  were  divided,  and  conferred  upon  different 
men.  Mr.  Lanneau  was  elected  clerk  and  Mr.  Vardell  was 
elected  sexton.  These  two  gentlemen  led  the  singing  for  sev- 
eral years,  while  Mr.  Biglow  played  the  violincello.  Mr.  Lan- 
neau having  resigned,  Mr.  Vardell  was  elected  clerk,  and  dur- 
ing his  entire  administration  the  performance  of  the  choir  was 
most  pleasing  and  satisfactory  to  the  congregation.  He  died 
in  1848. 

At  the  next  anniversary  Mr.  William  G.  Vardell  was  chosen 
clerk  and  conducted  the  singing  for  many  years.     Just  before 


46 

the  meeting  of  General  Assembly  in  this  church,  in  May,  1852, 
Dr.  Honour  was  appointed  chorister.  About  this  time  a 
melodeon  was  introduced  to  help  in  the  choir  services  during 
the  session  of  this  Court  of  the  Church.  Dr.  Honour  for  many 
years  continued  the  leadership  of  the  choir,  and  great  satis- 
faction and  praise  for  their  devoted  and  satisfactory  services 
belong  to  all  connected  with  the  choir,  but  especially  to  the 
ladies,  who  had  so  long  and  so  efficiently  contributed  to  this 
delightful  and  inspiring  part  of  Divine  worship.  Shortly 
after  this  the  organ  was  installed,  and  has  continued  ever 
since  to  lead  our  singing. 

Domestic  Missions. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  zeal  and  liberality  of  this 
church  for  foreign  missions,  but  it  was  equally  as  active  in 
the  cause  of  domestic  missions.  Besides  frequent  mission 
schools  and  enterprises  in  the  northeast  and  northwest  por- 
tion of  our  city  which  were  largely  supported  by  the  subscrip- 
tions and  personal  labors  of  its  members,  including  Ebenezer 
Church,  there  were  two  church  organizations  in  our  city  that 
owe  their  origin  to  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church. 

We  find  that  in  November,  1846,  the  Rev.  A.  A.  Porter  was 
engaged  as  a  temporary  supply  for  our  pulpit.  For  some- 
time it  had  been  felt  that  there  was  need  and  room  for  another 
Presbyterian  Church  in  our  city,  and  this  suggestion  met  the 
cordial  approval  and  support  of  the  Pastor,  the  Session 
and  the  congregation  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
In  March,  1847,  a  special  committee  of  the  session,  consist- 
ing of  Elders  J.  M.  Caldwell,  WilHam  Harrall,  WilHam  Adger 
and  John  Caldwell,  were  appointed  to  obtain  subscriptions 
to  secure  a  permanent  place  of  worship  for  the  new  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  with  the  Rev.  A.  A.  Porter  as  its  pastor.  In 
July,  1847,  this  committee  reported  they  had  raised  $10,205. 
This  church  was  located  on  Glebe  street,  and  was  formally 
organized  in  May,  1847,  with  the  full  sanction  and  hearty  God- 
speed of  the  Second  Church.  At  a  meeting  of  its  Session  in 
July,  1847,  three  of  its  ruling  elders,  Messrs.  J.  M.  Caldwell, 
Wilham  Harrall  and  John  Caldwell,  with  other  valuable  mem 
bers,  in  all  thirty-seven  persons,  were  dismissed  at  their  own 
request  to  join  and  form  the  Glebe  Street  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  relation  between  these  two  churches  continued  from  the 
first  most  cordial,  and  the  records  show  that  they  united  fre- 
quently in  Communion  services  at  one  or  other  of  these 
churches. 


47 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Session  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
held  in  May,  1847,  a  church  for  colored  people  was  formally 
organized,  with  the  Rev.  John  B.  Adger,  a  returned  missionary 
from  Asia  Minor,  as  pastor,  under  the  name  of  the  Anson 
Street  Presbyterian  Church.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of 
the  Session,  on  May  9,  1848,  forty-eight  colored  members  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  \vere  dismissed  to  join  the 
Colored  Presbyterian  Church  on  Anson  street.  The  Rev. 
J.  L.  Girardeau  succeeded  Dr.  Adger  as  pastor  of  this  colored 
church,  and  under  his  ministry  the  church  grew  rapidly,  with 
a  large  increase  of  colored  members,  and  later  on  with  a  white 
membership  also.  In  April,  1858,  quite  a  number  of  the  white 
communicants  of  the  Second  Church  were  dismissed  to  join 
this  Zion  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Dr.  Girardeau  was  pas- 
tor. Shortly  after  this,  largely  by  the  liberality  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Second  Church,  the  lot  was  bought  and  the  building 
erected  on  Calhoun  steret,  which  is  still  held  by  trustees  for 
use  in  worship  of  colored  Presbyterians. 

To-day. 

To-day  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  starts  off  upon 
her  second  century. 

She  is  arrayed  in  as  fresh  and  shining  garments  as  when 
one  hundred  years  ago  she  came  fair  and  beautiful  from  the 
builder's  hands. 

Her  debts  have  all  been  fully  paid.  The  salaries  she  pro- 
mised have  all  been  promptly  settled. 

She  goes  forward  unhesitatingly  into  the  unknown  future 
trusting  in  that  covenant-keeping  God,  who  has  graciously 
fulfilled  His  promises  made  to  our  fathers  to  be  the  God  of 
their  children  and  their  children's  children;  who  has  so  faith- 
fully guarded  and  preserved  this  magnificient  temple  amid  the 
raging  of  storm  and  cyclone,  the  roar  of  shot  and  shell,  the 
exposure  to  conflagration,  the  devastation  of  earthquake  and 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  years  just  ended,  relying  upon  that 
same  love  and  devotion  from  the  third  and  fourth  generation 
of  the  descendants  of  her  founders  and  builders  who  labored 
and  made  willing  sacrifices  for  her  a  century  ago. 


The  Work  of  the  Church  Among  the 
Children* 


An   Historical  Sketch   of  the  Sunday  School  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Charleston,  S.  C» 


Compiled  and  Read  by  Mr.  Richard  W.  Hutson. 


EXERCISES  OF  SUNDAY,  MAY  2,  1909. 


The  Sunday  school  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Charleston,  S.  C,  was  organized  in  the  year  1818,  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Hahnbaum.  It  was  the  second  Sunday 
school  organized  in  this  city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hahnbaum  were  both  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational (or  Circular)  Church,  of  Charleston,  and  they  had 
about  two  years  previous,  started,  in  connection  with  that 
Church,  the  first  Sunday  school  in  the  city.  This  attracted 
the  attention  of  some  of  the  members  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  and  an  invitation  was  extended  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hahn- 
baum to  start  a  school  there  They  consented,  and  organized 
it  in  1818.* 

The  first  Superintendent  of  the  School  was  Mr.  George  E. 
Hahnbaum  himself,  Mrs.  Hahnbaum  being  his  assistant.  It 
was  organized  as  distinct  from  the  Church,  and  was  not  at 
that  time  under  the  direction  of  Session.  For  this  and  other 
reasons  Rev.  Dr.  Andrew  Flinn,  pastor  of  the  Church,  at  first 
opposed  it  regarding  the  work  as  too  secular  in  its  nature.  But 
he  soon  became  convinced  of  its  usefulness,  and  was  ever  after- 
wards its  zealous  supporter.  He  preached  a  sermon  to  the 
children  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  school. 

The  first  meeting  place  for  the  school  was  in  the  south  gal- 
lery of  the  Church,  which  then  afforded  ample  accommoda- 
tions for  all  attendants. 

*A  Sunday  School  Union  Society  was  formed  September,  1819,  though  there 
were  Sabbath  schools  in  the  Circular  Church  in  January,  1817,  in  the  Second 
Church  in  1818,  in  the  Archdale  Street  Church  in  July,  1819,  and  an  Association  had 
existed  in  1816 — History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  South  Carolina,  Rev.  George 
Howe,  D.  D.,  vol.  II,  p.  229. 


49 

After  the  school  was  firmly  established,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hahnbaum  returned  to  the  Ch'cular  Church  and  to  their  work 
there.  This  was  about  the  year  1822,  and  the  Rev.  Bazil 
Gildersleeve  was  elected  Superintendent  of  the  School,  which 
office  he  retained  for  seventeen  years.  In  the  year  1838,  we 
find  from  the  Manual  of  the  Church  then  published,  that  the 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  School  was  Mr.  Chas.  S.  Simon- 
ton.  Dr.  Gildersleeve  taught  the  Female  Bible  Class.  Mrs.  Isaac 
Johnson  was  the  female  superintendent  with  Mrs.  Ann  Cald- 
well as  assistant.  Miss  Susan  Ruberry  was  teacher  of  the  In- 
fant Class,  and  James  W.  Stillman,  Secretary,  Librarian  and 
Treasurer.  There  were  thirteen  male  teachers,  as  follows: 
Messrs.  John  Vardell,  C.  S.  Simonton,  D.  W.  Harrison,  C.  P. 
Frazer,  Robert  L.  Church,. Robert  Tweed,  Wm.  P.  Levy,  John 
Pascoe,  G.  W.  Patterson,  John  Dewees;  Rev.  B.  Gildersleeve, 
Female  Bible  Class,  C.  J.  Sparks,  Assistant  Teacher;  Thomas 
R.  Vardell,  Male  Bible  Class.  The  female  teachers  were 
twelve  in  number,  as  follows:  Miss  Margaret  Bennett,  Miss 
Hannah  P.  Raymond,  Miss  Susan  Vardell,  Miss  Eliza  Auld, 
Miss  Gardenia  Gibbs,  Mrs.  S.  Robertson,  Miss  Phillippa  Burney, 
Miss  Susan  D.  Adger,  Miss  Mary  A.  Stillman,  Miss  S.  Anthony, 
Miss  Susan  Bell,  Miss  Ursula  Nell.  There  was  also  besides  a 
Sabbath  school  held  for  colored  persons,  after  the  morning 
service. 

Great  Prosperity. 

Dr.  Gildersleeve  resigned  the  office  of  Superintendent  in 
1839,  when  Mr.  Thomas  R.  Vardell  was  elected.  He  con- 
tinued in  office  until  his  death  in  1850,  and  under  his  manage- 
ment the  school  flourished.  During  the  revival  of  1846  one 
hundred  and  thirty  from  the  Sunday  school  joined  the  Church. 
Mr.  Vardell  was  a  great  singer  and  paid  special  attention  to 
the  music  of  the  school. 

About  this  time  Miss  Susan  Vardell  became  the  teacher  of 
the  Infant  Class,  and  remained  in  charge  of  it  for  many  years. 

Some  now  connected  with  the  Church  may  remember  being 
her  pupils.  In  1850,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Vardell,  Mr.  W.  H. 
Beach,  a  gentleman  from  the  North,  was  elected  Superintend- 
ent and  served  until  his  removal  from  the  city  two  years  later. 
Mr.  Beach  was  also  a  good  musician  and  paid  great  attention 
to  the  music  in  the  school.  The  school  was  very  prosperous 
during  this  administration,  the  attendance  often  reaching  the 
three  hundred  mark. 


50 
Under  the  Session. 

At  this  time  the  rules  for  the  government  of  the  school 
were  changed,  and  the  school  was  placed  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  Session,  an  Elder  acting  as  Superintendent.  In 
April,  1853,  an  elder,  Mr.  William  Adger,  was  elected  Superin- 
tendent with  Major  Gilchrist  as  assistant.  The  School  then 
numbered  forty  teachers,  with  over  three  hundred  scholars 
on  the  roll  One  thousand  volumes  were  added  to  the  Library 
and  properly  catalogued.  Mr.  William  Adger  died  in  New 
York  in  December,  1853.  The  next  year  Major  R.  C.  Gil- 
christ was  elected  Superintendent  with  Mr.  James  DiUing- 
hara  as  assistant,  both  gentlemen  being  elders  of  the  Church. 
The  female  superintendents  wer6  Mrs.  Isaac  Johnson  and 
Miss  Susan  D.  Adger.  The  Secretary  and  Treasurer  was  Mr. 
William  Dewees;  the  Librarians,  Mr  J.  Ellison  Adger  and  Mr, 
A.  McD.  Brown.  The  Male  Bible  Class  teachers  were  Messrs. 
A.  F.  Browning  and  Charles  H.  Simonton,  and  the  Female 
Bible  Class  teachers  were  Mrs.  Thomas  Smyih  and  Mrs.  S.J. 
Robinson .  The  Infant  Class  teachers  were  Misses  C .  Johnson 
and  GraciaLanneau.  Mr.  Dillingham  served  as  Assistant  Superin- 
tendent until  his  death  about  1864,  when  Mr.  C.  N.  Averill  was 
elected  in  his  place.  The  school  continued  under  the  charge 
of  Major  Gilchrist,  assisted  by  Mr.  Averill,  for  thirty  years. 
During  that  period  the  attendance  was  large  and  regular,  and 
there  were  many  additions  to  the  Church  from  among  the 
scholars.  The  position  of  female  superintendent,  with  its 
duties  of  taking  the  census  of  the  school,  and  looking  after  its 
general  order  and  welfare,  was  continued  after  the  war,  and 
Miss  Anna  Simonton  filled  that  position  very  acceptably  for 
many  years.  The  office  was  discontinued  for  a  long  time,  then 
revived  again  in  1894,  when  Miss  Sarah  Annie  Sm3rth  was 
elected.  In  1883,  both  Major  Gilchrist  and  Mr.  Averill  re- 
signed. For  some  time  the  school  was  without  an}'-  regular 
superintendent  but  the  exercises  were  carried  on  under  the 
efficient  charge  of  Mr.  F.  F.  Whilden.  Special  mention  should 
be  made  of  the  devoted  labors  of  Mr.  A.  R.  Stillman  who  was 
elected  Superintendent  and  consented  to  fill  the  office  for  a 
limited  term. 

Erection  of  Sunday  School  Building. 

In  January,  1885,  Mr.  Augustine  T.  Sm5rthe  was  elected 
Superintendent,  Mr.  F.  F.  Whilden,  Assistant,  Mr.  Hall  T. 
McGee,  Secretary  and   Treasurer    and  Mr.  John  W.  Robson, 


Pastor  1872-1902. 

Photograph  by   Austin,  Charleston,   S.   C. 


51 

Assistant  Secretary  and  Librarian.  Miss  Gracia  Lanneau 
having  resigned  her  charge  of  the  Infant  Class  which  she  had 
held,  with  great  acceptance,  for  thirty  years,  Mrs.  Mary  S. 
Whilden  was  elected  her  successor,  assisted  by  Miss  Mary 
Whilden  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Gardner.  Mr.  J.  Adger  Smyth  took 
charge  of  the  Male  Bible  Class  and  Mrs.  G.  H.  Moffett,  Miss 
Jane  Ann  Adger  and  Mrs.  Mary  R.  McD.  Stickney  of  the 
Female  Bible  Classes.  As  early  as  1881  it  became  obvious 
that  the  school  was  out  growing  its  quarters,  and  a  "Sunday 
School  Society,"  made  up  chiefly  of  Sunday  school  members, 
was  formed  with  the  object  of  procuring  funds  for  the  erection 
of  a  new  and  convenient  building.  The  first  President  was 
Mrs.  Mary  T.  Robinson  who  was  called  away  in  the  midst  of 
her  devoted  labor.  She  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  James  Allan 
who  prosecuted  the  work  with  equal  energy  and  zeal.  In 
November  1881  a  lot  was  purchased  and  in  May  1887  the 
present  Sunday  school  building  was  dedicated. 

Pastor's  Adult  Class. 

The  pastor.  Rev.  G.  R.  Brackett,  D.  D.,  assumed  the  office 
of  teacher,  and,  the  night  services  being  suspended,  began  to 
lecture  on  the  Sunday  school  lesson  to  the  adults  of  the  congre- 
gation. The  pastor's  class  room  accommodates  about  seventy, 
and  was  usually  well  filled  with  members  of  this  congregation  and 
strangers.  These  changes  in  the  organization  and  manage- 
ment of  the  school  were  due  to  the  practical  wisdom  and  ad- 
ministrative ability  of  the  Superintendent,  Hon.  A.  T.  Smythe. 
The  singing  was  led  by  a  gifted  and  enthusiastic  vocaUst,  Mr. 
F.  F.  Whilden  and  the  orchestra  was  conducted  by  an  accom- 
plished musician,  Mr.  Laurence  Reynolds.  In  October,  1893, 
Mr.  Smythe  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  his  health. 
The  following  December  Mr.  Hall  T.  McGee,  who  for  eight 
years  had  discharged  the  duties  of  Secretary  with  great  fidelity, 
also  resigned. 

A  School  With  National  Reputation. 

Mr.  F.  F.  Whilden  was  then  elected  Superintendent,  Mr. 
J.  W.  Robson, Secretary  and  Mr.  Robt.  A.  Smyth,  Assistant 
Secretary;  Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  Assistant  Female  Superintend- 
ent. Infant  Class  Teachers  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Whilden,  Assistants 
Miss  Lillie  Carrere,  Mrs.  Sarah  Gardner;  Male  Bible  Class,  J. 
Adger  Smyth.  Female  Bible  Class,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Moffett.  Dur- 
ing the  incumbency  of  Mr.  Whilden  the  school  flourished  and 


52 

grew  in  numbers  and  usefulness.  The  music  was  a  conspicu- 
ous feature  of  the  service.  The  school  had  a  national  reputa- 
tion. On  one  occasion  the  Rev.  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  visited  the  school  and  remarked  that  he  had 
heard  a  great  deal  of  it,  but  that  the  half  had  not  been  told. 
After  a  useful  and  practical  administration  of  four  years,  Mr. 
Whilden  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  Field  Secretary  of 
the  State  Sunday  School  Association  of  S.  C. 

In  1897,  Mr.  James  Allan,  Jr.,  was  elected  Superintendent, 
the  other  officers  continuing  the  same  as  under  Mr.  Whilden. 
Mr.  Allan's  administration  was  comparatively  a  short  one, 
but  during  that  time  the  school  maintained  the  record  it  had 
made  for  efficiency  and  zeal  in  the  work  of  training  the  youth 
of  the  church.  Mr.  Allan  resigned  on  account  of  his  removal 
from  the  city,  and  in  July,  1901,  Mr.  T.  Allen  Legare,  a  great- 
grandson  of  the  first  Treasurer  of  our  Church,  was  elected 
Superintendent,  Mr.  L.  Cheves  McCord  Smythe,  Assistant 
Superintendent,  Mr.  Jno.  W.  Robson  still  holding  the  position 
of  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  In  1907  Mr.  Robson  became 
Honorary  Secretary  after  an  active  service  of  twenty-four 
years,  when  Mr.  John  Frampton  was  elected  Secretary  with 
Mr.  Hall  T.  McGee,  Assistant.  Several  important  features 
have  been  added  to  the  work  of  the  school  during  Mr.  Legare 's 
administration,  among  which  should  be  mentioned  the  Cradle 
Roll,  the  Home  Study  Department,  and  the  Missionary  De- 
partment. 

Cradle  Roll  and  Home  Study. 

The  Cradle  Roll  has  for  its  purpose  the  linking  of  each 
child  to  the  Sunday  school  from  earliest  infancy  to  the  time 
it  enters  the  Infant  Class.  The  Home  Department  extends 
the  influence  of  the  Sunday  school  to  the  older  members  of  the, 
family,  and  keeps  them  in  actual  touch  and  sympathy  with 
the  Sunday  school,  Miss  M.  A.  Timmons  is  the  Superinten- 
dent and  Dr.  Sarah  Allan,  Miss  S.  P.  Bliss,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Mis- 
cally,  Mrs.  M.  P.  Shaw,  Mrs.  J.  S.  Riggs  and  Miss  Amey  N.  Allan 
are  the  Visitors  in  charge  of  this  Department.  Mr.  A.  Geo. 
McDermid  is  Secretary  in  charge  of  the  important  work  of  the 
Missionary  Department,  which  has  for  its  object  the  inculca- 
tion of  the  Missionary  spirit  in  the  children,  aiming  to  give 
them  an  inteUigent  appreciation  of  their  responsibility  toward 
both  the  Home  and  Foreign  field.  The  organization  of  these 
Departments  places  the  school  in  the  front  rank  of  progressive 
Sunday  schools  and  the  selection  of  the  officers  in  charge  in- 
sures the  success  of  each  department. 


S3 
Present  Sunday  School  Organization. 

The  Infant  Class  is  ably  managed  by  Miss  S.  R.  Smyth,  who 
succeeded  Mrs.  Whilden  in  that  responsible  position.  She 
is  admirably  assisted  by  Miss  E.  J.  Adger  and  Miss  Florence 
Bolger.  The  Young  Men's  Bible  Class  under  Mr.  W.  S.  Allan, 
and  the  Young  Ladies'  Bible  Class  under  Miss  S.  A.  Smyth 
are  well  attended. 

Dr.  Fraser  conducts  a  teaching  service  for  the  benefit  of  the 
older  members  of  the  congregation,  while  the  other  classes  are 
faithfully  conducted  by  the  following  teachers: 

Mr.  J.  N.  Robson,  Miss  Helen  Mclndoe. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Frampton,  Miss  Fannie  McNeill. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Fripp,  Miss  Mary  Braileford. 

Miss  Mattie  Knox,  Miss  A.  N.  Allan. 

Mrs.  J.  K.  G.  Fraser,  Miss  Jessie  Bolger, 

Mrs.  Stickney,  Miss  Lillie  Fogartie. 

Miss  J.  A.  Prince,  Miss  Janie  McCormick. 

Miss  M.  C.  Mustard,  Miss  Eva  McNeill. 

Miss  Marion  Steinmeyer,  Miss  Susie  McGee. 

The  music  with  Miss  Jennie  G.  Rose  as  the  efficient  organist, 
and  Mr.  Aldret,  Mrs.  Walker,  Mrs.  Robinson  and  others  as 
the  choir,  forms  an  inspiring  and  enjoyable  part  of  the  regular 
Sunday  school  service.  The  Library  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  CoUn 
McK.  Rose,  assisted  by  Mr.  Chas.  Steinmeyer,  and  these  officers 
have  for  a  number  of  years  faithfully  discharged  their  duties. 

Missions  and  Charity  Work. 

The  offerings  of  the  school  are  applied  alternately  each 
Sunday  to  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions  and  the  support  of  the 
school.  This  custom  has  been  in  vogue  for  some]  time.  On 
the  Sunday  before  Christmas  the  offering  is  set  apart  for  the 
Thornwell  Orphanage  of  CUnton,  S.  C. 

A  praiseworthy  custom,  which  has  been  indulged  in  for 
many  years,  is  the  making  of  Comfort  Bags  containing  useful 
articles,  such  as  needles,  thread,  buttons  and  the  hke,  and  a 
Bible,  and  these  are  given  through  the  Port  Society  here,  to 
the  sailors  of  the  various  ships  which  come  to  this  harbor. 
The  Word  of  God  is  thus  sown  as  seed  to  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth. 

Too  much  praise  can  not  be  given  to  Mr.  Legare  and  Mr. 
Smyth  and  the  faithful  corps  of  teachers  associated  with  them 


54 

in  the  work  of  the  "^school.  This  band  of  Christian  workers 
reahze  that  the  Sunday  school  is  essentially  a  training  school 
for  life,  and  their  aim  is  to  present  the  principles  of  the  re- 
ligious life  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  that  life  attractive  and 
desirable,  to  make  practical  appHcation  of  the  weekly  lessons, 
and  thus  impress  upon  the  plastic  minds  committed  to  their 
care  the  fact  that  religion  has  to  do  in  largest  measure  with 
every-day-Uving,  that  creed  should  be  crystallized  into  con- 
duct in  order  to  be  effective. 

Let  us  work  and  pray  that  the  future  of  our  school  may 
never  prove  unworthy  of  its  inspiring  past,  that  the  coming 
century  like  the  one  now  gone  into  history  may  always  find  it 
in  the  front  rank  of  those  efficient  agencies  having  for  their 
aim  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  earth. 


Sunday  Schools:  Past  and  Present* 

An  Historical  Address  Made  by  Mr.  Frank  Fleetwood 

Whilden,  as  a  Portion  of  the  Exercises  of 

Sunday  Afternoon,  May  2,  1909. 


This  is  our  birthday  anniversary  and  we  are  eighty-seven 
years  old  today.  Many  happy  returns  of  the  day,  and  may 
God  richly  bless  you  all  with  health  and  strength  to  do  many 
years  of  successful  service  in  this  school  and  His  Kingdom. 
How  old  you  are  getting  to  be  and  with  the  growth  of  each 
year  comes  the  added  responsibility  of  experience  and  better 
organization  and  methods. 

What  means  this  gathering  today?  Why  is  this  grand  edi- 
fice crowded?  Men  have  left  their  business,  the  mothers  and 
wives  their  household  duties.  Why  the  answer  is  clearly 
in  evidence  before  us.     It  is  the  children. 

In  the  times  before  Christ,  children  had  rather  a  small  place 
and  were  not  much  cared  for.  A  picture  I  have  of  an  East- 
ern School,  shows  the  teacher  with  a  large  rod  or  stick,  to  de- 
mand control  by  fear.  Today  the  Sunday  school  is  managed 
entirely  by  love.  Christ  said  "Suffer  the  little  children," 
the  Jews  around  him  said  "Keep  them  away."  Christ  hon- 
ored childhood,  and  today  the  nation  is  looking  more  care- 
fully to  the  training  of  the  children,  both  in  temporal  and  re- 
ligious matters. 

One  of  the  finest  gatherings  I  have  attended  in  years, 
participated  in  by  the  wisest,  best  and  most  influential  men  of 
this  great  country,  was  in  the  interest  of  the  children,  and  today 
we  are  all  looking  to  the  very  best  for  the  children. 

Let  us  go  back  a  century  or  more  and  compare  the  Sunday 
school  then  with  the  Sunday  school  of  the  present  day.  Let 
us  look  at  what  may  be  called  the  birth  of  the  Sunday  school, 
and  see  how  the  work  was  commenced  and  how  it  has  grown 
in  a  century  and  one  quarter. 

Robert   Raikes 

The  name  of  Robert  Raikes  is  as  famiUar  as  many  house- 
hold words,  but  few  know  of  his  life  and  struggles  to  put  on 


56 

foot  his  great  movement,  that  was  destined  under  God  to  rev- 
olutionize  the   world. 

Robert  Raikes  was  born  in  1706,  the  son  of  a  printer  in  Glou- 
cester. 

Let  us  look  at  a  man  rather  tall,  and  comfortably  stout, 
stylish  in  appearance,  attired  in  a  dark  blue  coat,  but  colored 
fancy  waistcoat  and  silver  and  gold  buttons,  cambric  frills  and 
ruffs,  nankeen  knee  breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  low  quar- 
tered shoes  and  large  silver  buckles,  a  gold-headed  cane.  He 
wore  a  brown  wig  with  a  double  row  of  curls  and  a  three-cor- 
nered  hat. 

He  was  a  man  of  gay  and  joyous  temperament,  a  kind  and 
affectionate  husband  and  father.  He  was  a  good  business 
man,  steady,  methodical  and  very  tenacious  of  purpose.  Kind- 
ly and  benevolent,  and  withal  a  touch  of  vanity,  that  some- 
times marks  the  self-made  man. 

He  was  the  proprietor  of  the  only  press  in  a  large  district 
for  many  years  and  thus  was  brought  in  contact  with  people 
with  literary  tastes  and  those  who  were  socially  far  above 
him. 

His  attention  was  at  first  drawn  to  the  deplorable  condi- 
tion of  the  prisons,  and  he  put  forth  efforts  for  a  number  of 
years  to  make  a  better  condition  of  affairs  for  those  who  were 
confined  in  them,  many  of  whom  were  poor  men  put  there 
for  debt,  and  in  this  work  he  came  in  contact  with  the  lower 
element  of  society,  that  formed  a  continual  procession  ripe 
or  ripening  for  the  gallows. 

He  concluded  their  condition  was  due  largely  to  ignorance 
and  idleness  and  that  reformation  could  be  secured  by  re- 
straint and  instruction.  Sometime  about  1780,  after  varied 
experiments  and  much  meditation  it  came  into  his  mind  to 
attempt  the  problem  through  the  children. 

Gloucester  was  the  seat  of  the  pin  industry  and  child  labor 
was  largely  employed.  On  Sunday  the  children  who  had 
toiled  through  the  week  were  turned  loose  to  riot  in  all  sorts 
of  vice,  filthy,  degraded,  with  the  pitiable  slum-born  look 
written  all  over  their  faces,  these  were  the  conditions  that 
met  him  on  the  streets  of  the  Cathedral  town. 

Robert  Raikes  at  Gloucester. 

In  1780  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years,  he  began  the  experiment 
which  he  pursued  without  publicity  for  three  years,  to  see 
what  discipline  and  instruction  would  do  for  this  neglected 
class. 


57 

His  start  was  in  "Sooty  Alley"  where  he  got  twelve  boys 
and  paid  a  poor  woman  a  shilling  (24c)  a  day  to  teach. 
Raikes  was  greeted  on  the  streets  at  times, ' '  Here  comes  Bobby 
Wild  Goose  and  his  ragged  regiment." 

At  the  end  of  three  years  he  was  very  well  satisfied  with 
his  experiment  and  the  great  scheme  of  popular  education 
began  slowly  to  mature  in  his  mind.  Through  his  newspaper 
"The  Gentlemen's  Magazine"  he  began  to  secure  the  interest 
of  such  men  as  Wesleys  and  Whitefield.  On  November  3, 
1783,  we  can  call  the  birth  of  the  Sunday  school,  as  a  perma- 
nent movement.  In  1784  there  were  five  schools  in  Glouces- 
ter with  77  boys  and  88  girls,  and  as  a  mark  of  civilization  the 
girls  were  allowed  to  wear  bonnets. 

The  schools  were  under  the  management  of  a  Board  and  the 
rules  were  prepared  by  Raikes,  as  was  also  a  Text-book,  called 
"Reading  made  easy,"  they  were  to  be  used  in  the  Sunday 
school  as  Avell  as  the  day  school.  The  movement  soon  be- 
came popular  and  in  four  years  there  were  250.000  scholars 
in  the  school  of  the  Kingdom  of  England,  and  the  improve- 
ment in  the  morals  of  the  children  and  the  decrease  of  crime 
was  remarkable. 

In  1784  John  Wesley  wrote  "Perhaps  God  may  have  a 
deeper  end  thereto  than  men  are  aware  of.  Who  knows  but 
what  some  of  these  schools  may  become  nurseries  for  Christ- 
ians." 

Robert  Raikes  retired  from  business  in  1802.  He  had  lived 
to  see  his  original  company  of  tvv^elve  boys  grow  to  an  army  of 
a  quarter  of  a  million,  and  the  movement  which  he  originated, 
adopted  in  Wales,  Scotland,  Ireland  and  also  America,  an 
experiment  which  now  looks  so  simple  and  so  humble  as  that 
of  trying  to  lure  these  ragged  children  of  wretchedness  to  a 
church  service  and  paying  some  poor  woman  a  shilling  a  day 
to  teach  them,  resulted  not  only  in  a  marked  improvement 
in  morals  among  the  children  of  Gloucester  but  gave  to  the 
19th  Century  and  the  world  the  most  potent  instrument  for 
moral  and  reUgious  advancement,  to  be  passed  on  to  the  20th 
Century  for  a  development  beyond  the  dreams  of  the  most 
sanguine. 

Robert  Raikes  died  in  1811,  seventy-five  years  of  age,  after 
an  illness  of  only  one  half  an  hour.  The  children  of  his  own 
school  followed  his  body  to  the  grave,  singing  Sunday  school 
hymns  as  they  went.  Thus  closed  the  great  life  which  God  had 
ordained  as  an  index  to  a  work  which  was  destined  to  win  the 
world  for  Christ. 


58 
Coming  near  home. 

The  Rev.  John  Wesley  took  charge  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church  at  Savannah,  Ga.  on  the  7th  of  March,  1736.  His 
most  important  work  in  the  parish  was  the  establishment  of 
a  Sunday  school  under  the  Superintendence  of  Mr.  Delamotte. 
This  church  can  justly  claim  to  be  the  leader  in  Sunday  school 
work  in  America,  for  this  Sunday  school  says  Bishop  Stevens, 
was  organized  nearly  fifty  years  before  Robert  Rakes  organized 
the  scheme  of  Sunday  instruction  in  his  Gloucester,  England 
school,  and  so  years  before  the  first  Sunday  school  was  es- 
tablished on  Mr.  Raikes'  plan  in  New  York. 

The  Sunday  School  of  the  old  Independent  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  was  organized  in  1804,  105  years 
ago.  This  school  was  organized  during  the  Hfe  of  Robert 
Rakes,  whether  from  direct  suggestion  or  personal  influence 
we  do  not  know.  In  the  Sunday  school  building  there  is  an 
oil  painting  of  Raikes  said  to  have  been  presented  by  himself 
to  the  school.  The  celebrated  Lowell  Mason  was  superintend- 
ent of  this  school  during  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
and  during  his  administration  the  school  began  meeting  on 
Sundays,  prior  to  that  time  it  met  on  Saturday. 

On  a  tombstone  is  found  the  following: 

"Mrs.  Mary  Lake  held  Sunday  school  in  the  block  house  at 
Marietta,  Ohio,  from  1791  to  1795." 

This  was  the  first  school  in  Ohio,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the 
United  States. 

In  Charleston. 

The  first  Sunday  school  in  Charleston  and  the  first  in  the 
State,  was  started  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Hahnbaum,  in  the 
Circular  Church  (old  White  Meeting)  in  1818.  For  sometime 
they  were  the  only  teachers,  but  the  movements  gradually 
grew  in  favor  and  the  school  increased  in  number,  but  was 
never  very  largely  attended  for  the  first  few  years  of  its  existence. 
Mr.  Hahnbaum  was  a  German  by  birth  and  education,  and 
married  a  Charleston  lady  who  greatly  assisted  him  in  his 
work.  For  five  years  and  until  1822  this  was  the  only  Sunday 
school  in  Charleston.*  In  that  year  by  the  request  of  the 
officers  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  Mr.  Hahnbaum 
assisted    in     organizing    a    Sunday    school    in    that    church 

*  With^^regard  to  the  year  of  the  establishment  of  the  various  pioneer  Sunday 
schools  in  Charleston,  see  data  from  Howe's  History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
South  Carolina,  quoted  in  a  foot  note,  appended  to  the  address  by  Mr.  Hutson, 
page  48. 


59 

and  superintended  it  until  it  was  in  running  order.  This 
school  has  been  blessed  with  great  success  in  its  work. 
We  look  back  in  1887  and  see  the  long  line  of  its  superintendents 
beginning  with  Jno.  Hahnbaum,  Basil  Gildersleeve,  Thos. 
Vardell,  Wm.  Adger,  W.  H.  Beach,  C.  N.  Averill,  R.  C.  Gil- 
christ, Aug.  T.  Smythe,  F.  F.  Whilden,  T.  Allen  Le^are,  W.  S. 
Allan,  of  this  number  Smyth,  Whilden  and  Allen  Legare  are 
still  living  and  working. 

Later  on  other  schools  sprang  up.  Mr.  Hahnbaum  was 
the  pioneer  in  this  work  and  his  efforts  have  signally  blessed 
for  now  every  Church  has  its  Sunday  school.  Mr.  Hahnbaum 
was  a  sweet  singer  and  singing  was  made  a  feature  of  the  ex- 
ercises .  In  those  days  all  the  hymns  were  from  the  Church 
hymn  book.  The  teaching  was  directly  from  the  Bible  and 
Church  Catechism.  Later  on  a  book  of  questions  was  in- 
troduced and  though  now  out  of  date,  was  a  most  excellent 
book  for  Sunday  school  use.  It  was  in  use  by  all  Sunday 
schools  for  nearly  seventy  years,  and  the  early  religious  in- 
struction in  the  Sunday  school  is  associated  with  the  little 
blue  question  book. 

Marvellous  Progress  and  Change. 

Robert  Raikes'  school  started  with  thi-ee  features,  all  of 
which  were  soon  done  away  with.  First,  the  paying  of  teach- 
ers. Second,  instruction  in  the  rudiments  of  learning,  such 
as  speUing  and  reading.  Third,  limiting  the  Sunday  school 
to  the  lower  classes  only. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  with  today  what  was  estimated 
in  1827  as  the  cash  value  of  contribution  of  Sunday  school 
teachers.  At  33  cents  a  Sabbath,  the  established  rate  at  which 
teachers  were  first  paid,  today,  at  the  same  valuation  the 
Sunday  school  officers  and  teachers  of  the  International  field 
are  contributing  $26,717,210,  and  think  of  the  voluntary  ser- 
vices of  men  and  women  today,  that  no  amount  of  money 
could  buy.  This  work  Hke  all  great  movements  met  with 
severe  opposition.  As  late  as  1820,  in  a  town  in  Connecticut  a 
young  girl  gathered  a  class  in  the  gallery  of  a  church;  when 
discovered  she  was  forbidden  by  the  pastor  and  church  authori- 
ities  on  the  ground  that  she  was  desecrating  God's  day  and 
God's  house,  and  the  pastor  told  her  to  leave,  and  spoke 
of  the  party  as  "You  imps  of  Satan,  doing  the  devil's  work." 

See  the  wonderful  change  in  50  years.  For  in  1876  Dr. 
Horace  Bushnell,  perhaps  the  gi-eatest  moulder  of  theological 
thought  in  the  19th  Century  said  "Now  I  have  come  to  see 


60 

that  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  is  the  greatest  work  in  the 
World.  Sometimes  I  think  it  is  the  only  work."  Since  1876 
four  Presidents  of  this  great  nation,  Grant,  Hayes,  McKinley 
and  Roosevelt,  have  from  the  Presidential  chair  written  special 
messages  of  counsel  and  encouragement  to  the  Sunday  school 
workers  of  this  land.  God  in  His  wise  Providence  has  ap- 
pointed two  great  bodies,  organized  for  the  purpose  of  further- 
ing His  Great  Work,  among  the  children. 

One  is  the  American  Sunday  School  Union,  which  has  for  its 
special  object  the  establishing  of  Sunday  schools  in  destitute 
places,  with  men  sent  out  well  equipped  in  heart  and  mind  to 
do  this  special  work  and  who  have  been  greatly  blessed,  and 
much  success  met  with,  and  today  churches  are  found  all  over 
the  land,  as  the  outcome  of  the  organizing  of  a  Sunday  school 
in  what  was  once  a  destitute  territory. 

The  other  great  body  is  the  International  Sunday  School 
Association,  which  arranges  for  the  organization  of  all  schools 
into  Conventions  and  Institutes  and  have  them  taught  and 
trained  for  better  work.  One  organizes  and  assembles,  the  other 
teaches  and  trains. 

The  modes  of  teaching  have  been  wonderfully  improved, 
originally  it  was  to  memorize  parrot  fashion,  a  large  number 
of  verses  of  scripture,  without  understanding  anything  of 
what  they  said.  Today  we  still  have  the  memory  system  but 
confined  to  a  few  verses  with  each  class,  having  a  teacher  to 
explain  and  illustrate  what  the  children  learn. 

In  1872  the  Uniform  lessons  were  adopted  and  this  made 
possible  a  steady  improvement  in  Sunday  school  Hterature, 
both  in  book  and  periodical,  as  an  aid  to  the  Bible,  for  Officers, 
Teachers  and  Pupils.  Today  the  whole  world  is  studying  the 
same  lesson,  from  the  same  passage  of  God's  word. 

We  find  that  in  1832  the  first  National  Sunday  School  Con- 
vention assembled  in  New  York,  of  28  States  and  Territories 
then,  14  were  represented  by  220  delegates.  Compare  this 
with  the  Convention  of  1905  at  Toronto,  when  Central  America, 
Cuba,  Hawaii,  Mexico,  Montana,  PhiHppines,  Porto  Rico, 
and  England  and  all  over  the  United  States,  over  3,000  de- 
legates were  present,  and  representing  in  the  world  262,131 
Sunday  schools,  2,426,888  teachers,  22,730,323  scholars, 
or  a  grand  army  of  25,614,916  enlisted  in  this  great  army,  of 
which,  Jesus  Christ  is  Commander  in  Chief. 


61 
Our  Work  is  Boundless. 

Truly  we  have  a  goodly  heritage.  Let  us  go  into  the  average 
well  equipped  Sunday  school  of  today,  we  find  first  and  fore- 
most in  the  work,  the  pastor,  with  his  loving  care  and  guiding 
hand,  and  spiritual  influence.  The  school  is  thoroughly  organi- 
zed in  its  own  building,  with  Superintendent,  Assistant,  Secre- 
tary, Treasurer,  Librarian,  Ushers,  Teachers  and  large  number 
of  pupils,  oftentimes  spirited  singing,  accompanied  with 
instruments.  Add  to  the  joy  of  the  praise  service,  black- 
boards, charts,  models  and  a  Bible  in  the  hand  of  each  scholar, 
makes  the  study  of  the  word ,  at  once  entertaining  as  well  as 
instructive.  The  hour  for  meeting  is  fully  occupied,  and 
passes  quickly,  making  an  earnest  desire  in  the  hearts  of  those 
attending,  to  have  another  session  as  early  as  possible. 

The  work  of  school  does  not  cease  on  Sunday,  but  is  dilli- 
gently  pursued  all  through  the  week,  by  officers  and  teachers 
and  Home  Department,  and  cradle  roll  workers,  with  miss- 
ion bands  and  boys'  brigades,  all  making  joyous  in  the  love  of 
God. 

It  is  a  high  honor  in  the  world  today  to  be  enrolled  in  this 
mighty  army  which  contains  some  of  the  mighty  men  of  our 
land.  In  a  class  next  to  the  one  I  teach  each  Sunday  is  one 
of  the  high  oflSicials  of  our  State,  while  veterans,  with  one 
coat-sleeve  empty,  who  have  fought  for  their  country,  are 
now  proud  and  happy  to  fight  for  the  Prince  of  Peace,  against 
the  armies  of  Satan. 

I  have  listened  to  men  of  high  rank  in  both  business  and  pro- 
fessional life  as  they  taught  the  word  to  eager  listeners.  With 
great  occasions  as  Rally  Day,  Decision  Day,  Anniversary  Day, 
there  is  a  constant  stimulus,  an  eager  looking  forward  to, 
an  incentive  for  higher  and  better  work,  and  more  punctual 
attendance . 

Go  with  me  as  we  visit  the  up-to-date  Sunday  school,  be- 
ginning with  its  cradle  ti^^  and  going  by  regular  gradations 
up  through  to  the  Home  15epartment  where  we  find  the  ' '  Shut 
In's"  and  the  enfeebled  all  at  work.  The  Sunday  school  of 
today  is  the  whole  church  studying  the  Bible.  You  and  I 
are  a  part  of  this  organized  army.  Some  have  more  im- 
portant duties  than  others,  some  lead,  others  follow,  but  the 
responsibility  of  Teachers,  Leaders  and  Scholars  is  all  the  same. 
What  will  we  do  for  its  success? 


The  Educational  Work  of  the  Church* 


Historical  Review  of  the  Work  of  the  Ladies^  Educa- 
tion Society  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church* 


Compiled  by  Miss  Satah  Ann  Smyth. 


EXERCISES  OF  MONDAY,  MAY  3,  1909. 


The  Ladies'  Education  Society  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  dates  back  to  the  earhest  years  of  the  Church's  ex- 
istence. 

The  work  of  education  was  carried  on  at  first  in  connection 
with  "the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Association"  of 
the  city.  This  connection  existed  in  1815  and  continued  until 
1821,  six  years. 

The  congregation  of  this  Church,  having  grown  and  strength- 
ened, under  the  fostering  care  of  their  first  pastor,  now  realized 
its  own  powers  and  abilities  When  Mr.  Boies  became  pastor, 
after  Dr.  Flinn's  death,  he  felt  it  advisable  that  the  women 
should  form  their  own  Education  Societ}^  distinct  from  the 
general  Association  to  be  called  the  Second  Female  Education 
Society.  The  meeting  to  organize  was  held,  and  about  fifty 
ladies  were  present.  They  withdrew  from  the  older  Associa- 
tion, in  a  friendly,  harmonious  manner;  many  members  of  the 
other  congregations  while  remaining  in  the  older  Society  en- 
couraged this  new  enterprise  by  joining  it  as  well,  some  of 
them  becoming  life  members 

Mrs.  Alexander  Black,  wife  of  ^le  of  the  founders  of  the 
Church,  was  elected  president;  Mrrf.' Samuel  Robertson,  vice- 
pre  ident,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Robertson,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. Four  directresses  were  appointed,  their  duty  being  to 
cut  out  and  prepare  the  work  for  the  members.  When  finished 
the  work  was  sold  by  the  directresses  and  the  money  placed  in 
the  treasury. 

A  constitution  was  drawn  up,  the  first  article  designating 
the  name,  Second  Female  Education  Society  of  Charleston. 

Second  Article,  the  object  of  this  Society:  To  assist  in  educa- 
ting some  pious,  promising  young  men  of  talent,  preparatory 


63 

to  a  course  of  theological  studies  or  in  maintaining  them  at  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  which  students  shall  be 
from  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  unless  none  such  can  be  ob- 
tained, and  then  to  be  selected  from  any  other  State  the  Society 
shall  approve. 

Third  Article:  This  Society  shall  meet  weekly;  each  meeting 
shall  be  opened  with  reading  the  Scriptures ;  one  of  the  members 
shall  read  during  the  meeting  some  appropriate  and  instructive 
book,  that  reader  to  be  appointed  monthly;  the  meeting  to  be 
closed  with  prayer  The  other  articles  of  the  constitution 
refer  to  the  duties  of  officers,  to  their  election,  etc. 

The  meetings  were  to  be  held  weekly,  on  Thursday  morning 
from  11  until  2  o'clock.  The  dues  to  be  one  dollar  yearly. 
The  payment  of  ten  dollars  constituted  one  a  hfe  member. 

The  minutes  of  those  early  meetings  show  the  deep  earnest- 
ness of  the  members,  and  their  regular  attendance.  Mr. 
Boies  took  great  interest  in  the  work,  and  often  met  with  the 
ladies — encouraging  by  his  presence  and  sympathy,  and  as- 
sisting in  the  correspondence  necessary  in  choosing  a  suitable 
beneficiary. 

Assistance  to  Students  for  the  Ministry. 

Mr.  LeRoy  Davis,  from  South  Carolina,  applied  for  assist- 
ance to  the  Society.  After  much  discussion  as  to  his  claims, 
and  those  of  another  candidate  from  Virginia,  it  was  decided 
to  take  Mr.  Davis  as  their  beneficiary,  and  in  December,  1822, 
he  complied  with  the  requirements  of  the  constitution  by  re- 
porting to  Princeton  Seminary.  He  finished  his  theological 
studies  in  1825,  being  under  the  care  of  the  Society  for  four 
years,  and  receiving  from  them  in  that  time  the  sum  of  six 
hundred  dollars. 

In  1824  it  was  deemed  best,  the  amount  raised  yearly  by  the 
Society  not  being  sufficient  to  enable  a  student  at  Princeton  to 
meet  all  expenses,  that  this  money  should  be  sent  to  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  General  Assembly,  to  be  used  by  their 
agent,  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Davis,  in  assisting  needy  theological 
students.  This  plan  was  adopted  and  continued  for  ten  years, 
and  the  amount  sent  to  the  board  was  $2,030. 

In  the  meantime  the  Synods  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia 
determined  to  build  a  Theological  Seminary  in  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  which  was  opened  for  students  in  1830.  This 
was  a  cause  of  great  rejoicing  and  great  benefit  to  the  young 
men  of  the  South.  It  necessitated,  however,  a  change  in  the 
constitution  of  this  Society,  which  in  1832  was  necessarily 


64 

modified  to  meet  the  new  conditions.  At  the  same  time  the 
name  was  changed  to  the  Female  Education  Society  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church. 

Article  II  was  changed  to  read  thus:  "The  object  of  this 
Society,  as  auxiliary  to  the  General  Assembly's  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, shall  be  to  assist  in  educating  pious  young  men  for  the 
Gospel  ministry,  preference  being  always  given  to  those  who 
are  natives  of  our  own  State,  and  also  to  the  Theological  Semin- 
ary of  our  own  Synod."  After  this  the  beneficiaries  of  this 
Society  usually  attended  the  Seminary  at  Columbia. 

Work:  Social  and  Serious. 

Anniversary  meetings  were  always  of  great  interest,  and 
were  well  attended,  The  pastors  of  the  Church  met  with  the 
ladies,  and  after  the  business  was  attended  to  and  reports  read, 
addressed  them  in  words  of  commendation,  stimulating  and 
urging  them  to  greater  efforts. 

The  weekly  meetings  of  the  Education  Society  were  of  gi*eat 
benefit  to  the  women  of  the  Church,  not  only  because  of  the 
work  done  there,  and  the  more  serious  matters  discussed  and 
provided  for,  but  as  pleasant  social  gatherings,  where  they 
learned  to  know  and  appreciate  each  other.  Occasionally  they 
were  visited  by  strangers  in  the  city,  ministers  from  other 
places,  who  were  brought  to  their  meetings  by  their  pastor. 
As  may  be  imagined  these  visits  were  most  interesting  and  en- 
couraging. 

But,  in  spite  of  all  this  prosperity  and  enthusiasm,  we  see 
by  the  records  that,  as  is  always  the  way  in  societies,  there  were 
periods  of  depression,  just  such  as  we  ourselves  meet  at  times. 
We  need  not,  therefore,  feel  discouraged  or  envious  of  our 
mothers,  but  only  realize  that,  like  them,  we  must  persevere 
and  overcome  indifference  and  misfortunes. 

While  it  had  been  generally  the  habit  to  meet  at  the  homes 
of  different  members  for  quite  a  long  period  the  Society  met  in 
the  parlor  of  the  Charleston  Orphan  House.  At  least  one  of 
the  members  still  remembers  that,  as  a  child,  she  was  taken 
there  regularly  to  make  herself  useful  by  threading  the  needles 
for  the  old  ladies 

"The  Society  Basket." 

The  office  of  directress  continued  in  1837,  when  a  change 
was  made  in  the  manner  of  selling  the  work.  It  had  become 
quite  a  nard  task  for  the  directresses  to  dispose  of  the  work,  and 
yet  the  income  of  the  Society  depended  largely  on  these  sales. 


65 

The  use  of  the  basket  began  and  a  reHable  person  was  employed, 
and  a  small  percentage  paid  on  the  sales.  This  plan  and  the 
use  of  the  basket  has  been  a  feature  of  the  Society  ever  since. 

An  Historical  Legacy. 

In  1855  an  active  and  liberal  member,  Miss  Sarah  Arms,  died 
leaving  a  portion  of  her  property,  one  thousand  dollars,  to  the 
Society,  to  be  used  in  educating  young  men  for  the  ministry. 
This  legacy  was  known  as  the  Arms'  Legacy.  The  amount 
was  invested  and  only  the  interest  used.  We  quote  from  the 
annual  report  of  the  treasurer,  November,  1873:  "During  the 
war  between  the  States,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  principal 
had  to  be  invested  in  Confederate  bonds,  and,  as  we  supposed, 
therefore,  was  all  lost.  We  have  recently  heard  this  was  not 
entirely  so.  The  executors  of  Miss  Arms'  will  did  invest  five 
hundred  in  one  bond,  which  was  lost  The  other  five  hundred 
dollars  was  held  by  another  gentleman,  Mr.  Robert  Adger, 
who  has  told  us  lately  that  he  still  has  it  in  his  possession,  and 
with  the  interest  accruing,  which  he  is  willing  to  pay,  it  has 
increased  to  an  amount  more  than  the  original  one  thousand 
dollars.  This  sum  he  holds  subject  to  our  order,  and  as  we 
supposed  it  would  be  deemed  best  to  allow  it  to  remain  with 
him.  He  will  continue  to  pay  us  the  lawful  interest,  and  we 
can  draw  from  him  every  year  seventy  dollars." 

This  amount  of  one  thousand  dollars  was  paid  over  to  the 
treasurer  in  1881,  and  placed  in  the  Germania  Savings  Bank 
in  Charleston,  S.  C.  The  interest  thereof  is  used  yearly  when 
necessary  to  make  up  the  full  amount  to  defray  our  pledges. 

The  Society  also  received  a  legacy  from  Miss  Annie  R.  Rob- 
inson of  one  thousand  dollars.  This  amount  was  not  paid 
over  until  1907  and  owing  to  some  legal  difficulties  the  Soci- 
ety received  only  S737.56.  The  members  of  the  Society  de- 
cided to  invest  this  sum  and  to  add  the  yearly  interest  until 
the  amount  reaches  one  thousand  dollars.  (The  amount  has 
increased  to  S825.63.)  Then  as  with  Miss  Arms'  legacy  to 
use   the   interest. 

Liberality  of  the  Men  of  the  Church. 

While  this  has  been  a  woman's  society,  it  has  never  been 
neglected  by  the  men  of  the  Church.  Their  donations, 
from  the  earliest  beginning  of  the  work  to  the  present  time, 
have  been  continued  and  generous.  By  their  liberality  we 
have  been  enabled  to  meet  all  calls  upon  the  treasury,  and  to 


66 

keep  up  all  obligations  entered  into.     We  have  never  failed 
in  promises  to  a  beneficiary. 

Immediately  after  the  war  in  1869,  Avhen  the  Society  was 
again  taking  up  its  work,  Mr.  J.  N.  Robson  came  forward, 
and  offered  to  contribute  two  hundred  dollars  a  year.  This 
timely  aid  inspired  the  members  with  renewed  courage  and 
determination  to  push  on. 

Officers  and  Members. 

Mrs.  T.  Charlton  Henry,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry,  was 
the  second  president  of  the  Education  Society,  with  Mrs.  John 
Robinson  as  vice  president,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Robertson 
secretary  and  treasurer.  Mrs.  Henry  continued  in  office  un- 
til after  the  death  of  Dr.  Henry  in  1828. 

Mrs.  Gibbs  held  the  office  for  two  years,  with  Mrs.  Isaac  A. 
Johnson  as  vice  president.  In  December,  1831,  Mrs.  John- 
son was  elected  president,  and  continued  so,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  years,  until  1840,  when  Mrs.  Thomas  Smyth,  who 
had  been  secretary  and  treasurer  since  1830,  was  elected  pres- 
ident. Mrs.  Samuel  Robertson,  who  had  been  vice  president 
when  the  society  was  organized,  was  re-elected  to  that  office 
and  Miss  Susan  D.  Adger  was  secretary  and  treasurer.  These 
ladies  continued  in  office  until  their  removal  by  death.  Mrs. 
Robertson  in  1893,  and  Mrs.  Smyth  and  Miss  Adger  the  same 
year,  1884,  each  having  been  in  office  fifty  years. 

The  history  of  the  Society  during  this  long  period  was  most 
remarkable.  The  list  of  members  increased  to  150  active 
members  in  1846.  The  meetings  were  large  and  enthusiastic 
and  the  amount  of  work,  subscriptions  and  donations  multi- 
plied. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  during  the  war  the  Society  con- 
tinued to  hold  its  meetings  until  1863,  but  was  obliged  then 
to  stop,  as  the  members  were  scattered. 

In  1884  Mrs.  G.  R.  Brackett  became  president,  and  Miss 
Jane  A.  Adger  secretary  and  treasurer.  Miss  Adger  died  in 
1889,  when  Miss  Sarah  A.  Smyth  was  elected  to  fill  her  place 
as  secretary  and  treasurer. 

After  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brackett,  in  1903,  Mrs. 
Brackett  left  the  city  and  resigned  her  office. 

Mrs.  J.  Ellison  Adger,  daughter  of  a  former  president,  Mrs. 
Isaac  A.  Johnson,  was  elected  president  and  served  until  her 
death,  in  1905,  with  Miss  S.  A.  Smyth  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. 


67 

On  the  death  of  Mrs.  Adger,  Miss  Sarah  A.  Smyth  was  elected 
president  and  treasurer,  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Edgerton  vice  presi- 
dent. Mrs.  Edgerton  remained  in  office  two  years  when  she 
decUned  re-election.  Miss  Elizabeth  J.  Adger  took  her  place, 
and  thus  inherits  the  work,  not  only  of  her  mother,  but  of 
her  grandmother. 

The  present  officers  are  Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  president  and 
treasurer,  and  Miss  EHzabeth  J.  Adger,  vice  president.  Miss 
Adger  has  charge  of  the  basket  and  its  supplies. 

To  return  to  the  earlier  records : 

Assistance  Given  to  Men  of  Mark. 

The  Education  Society  continued  until  1836  to  send  its  funds 
through  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Davis,  agent  of  the  General  Assembly's 
Board  of  Education,  to  be  used  as  he  deemed  best.  Then 
two  young  men  of  the  congregation  expressed  their  determi- 
nation to  study  for  the  ministry,  and  applied  to  the  Educa- 
tion Society  for  assistance,  neither  of  them  having  finished  his 
college  courses.  These  appeals  aroused  the  zeal  and  interest 
of  the  members,  and,  being  encouraged  by  their  pastor,  Dr. 
Smyth,  they  determined  to  undertake  the  support  of  these 
young  men,  instead  of  contributing  through  the  General  As- 
sembly's Board.  One  of  the  students  was  Dr.  Charles  A.  Still- 
man.'  He  was  under  the  care  of  the  Society  for  seven  years, 
passing  through  both  college  and  seminary.  Dr.  Stillman 
was  connected  with  the  Tuscoloosa  Theological  Seminary  for 
negroes,  and  accomplished  a  good  work  there. 

The  long  list  of  names  of  those  who  have  been  connected  with 
the  Education  Society  is  most  remarkable  and  interesting. 
Many  have  become  men  of  mark  in  the  church,  ministers  of 
prominence,  missionaries  in  the  foreign  field,  professors  in  col- 
leges. A  few  may  be  mentioned  besides  Dr.  Stillman  in  1839. 
Dr.  WilHam  FUnn  in  1842,  Wm.  L.  Hughes  in  1844,  Dr.  David 
L.  Buttolph  in  1859,  assistant  pastor  with  Dr.  Smyth;  Dr. 
WilUam  P.  Jacobs,  Dr.  Hampden  C.  DuBose,  1869,  now  in 
China;  Drs.  Jerry  Witherspoon,  J.  WilHam  Flinn,  James  J. 
Chisolm  and  on  and  on,  until  seventy  names  completed  the 
roll.  Seventy-seven  young  men  assisted  by  the  Education 
Society.  Six  missionaries  in  the  foreign  field.  Of  this  entire 
number  fifteen  have  been  from  our  own  congregation. 

In  a  report  read  by  the  then  secretary,  Miss  Margaret  M. 
Adger,  (Mrs.  Thom^as  Smyth)  at  an  anniversary  meeting,  she 
writes:  "Who  can  calculate  the  amazing  results  of  these  labors 
of  love.     A  single  soul  is  worth  more  than  a  world.     And  how 


68 

many  souls  may  we  not  hope  will  be  saved  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  these  already  sent  into  the  field.  Add  to  these 
the  probable  number  that  may  be  brought  to  embrace  the 
Gospel  and  be  prepared  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  by  their 
labors;  how  vast  the  amount.  And  when  we  look  again  at  the 
influence  which  these,  in  their  turn,  will  exert  upon  others, 
who  can  calculate  the  result.  Looking  forward  to  the  Judg- 
ment Day,  we  behold  a  vast  multitude  whom  no  man  can  num- 
ber, before  the  throne  of  God  and  the  Lamb,  who  have  been 
brought  there  instrumentally  by  the  humble  labors  of  this 
Society.  In  that  day  will  any  of  us  regret  the  little  sacrifices 
we  may  have  made  in  this  good  cause?  Will  we  regret  the 
instrumentality  we  ma}''  have  had  in  the  salvation  of  souls? 
Let  us  press  forward  with  renewed  ardour  in  the  noble  work 
and  remember  the  promise  is  'they  that  turn  many  to  right- 
eousness, shall  shine  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever.'  " 

Eighty  Years. 

We  date  the  age  of  the  Education  Society  from  the  year 
1821,  although  the  members  were  connected  with  the  Congre- 
gational and  Presbyterian  Association  from  1815,  which  makes 
this  Society  eighty  years  old.  And,  during  all  these  years  it 
has  never  deviated  from  the  one  object  for  which  it  was  or- 
ganized. During  that  time  there  have  been  seven  hundred 
and  six  names  of  members  on  the  roll,  and  the  amount  raised 
in  those  years  has  been  $40,791.50. 


BENEFICIARIES  OF  THE  EDUCATION  SOCIETY 


Before  the  War 

1822-1825,  J.  Le  Roy  Davis  1847-1849,  Wm.  Haddin 

1824-1835,  Rev.  S.  S.  Davis  1847-1852,  J.  Evans  White 

1829-1836,  F.  Gibert  1847-1853,  Wm.  J.  McCormick 

1834-1836,  Jas.  L.  Cozby  1847-1855,  Robert  Small 

1836-1844,  Chas.  A.  Stillman  1847-1855,  Arthur  Small 

1836-1840,  Wm.  J.  Johnson  1853,  Wm.  Green 

1840-1842,  George  C.  Logan  1854-57.    1858-60,  Robert  W. 
1841,             Thos.  L.  McBryde  McCormick 

1842-1845,  Wm.  Flinn  1854-1857,  E.  0.  Frierson 

1843-1846,  Henry  Newton  1855-58-59,    To    Theological 
1844-1846,  Wm.  L.  Hughes  Seminary,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

1845-1846,  S.  S.  Gaillard  1855-1859,  A.  P.  Miller 

1846-1847,  John  McLees  1856,  Thomas  E.  Smith 

1847-1849,  Joseph   Porter  1857-1859,  David  C.  Buttolph 


69 


1857-1861,  Madison  Duncan 
1857-1863,  George  J.  Porter 
1859-1862,  Robert  M.  Ander- 
son -, 

Total,  to  Thirty  Students,  from  1822  to  1864 


1860-1862,  Mr.  Blackford 
1860-1862,  J.  B.  Mack 
1861-1864,  Wm.  P.  Jacobs 


$    22,132.00 


After  the  War 


1869-1873,  Theological  Semi-  1896- 

nary,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

1869-1870,  Hampden  C.  Du-  1897- 

Bose 

1870-1873,  C.  E.  Chichester  1898, 

1873-1874,  Jerry  Witherspoon  1898, 

1874-1875,  J.  WiUiam  Flinn  1898- 
1876-1877,  James  J.  Chisolm 

1877-1880,  Chas.  M.  Shepard  1898- 

1880-1881,  Theological  Semi-  1899- 

nary,  Columbia,  S.  C.  1900- 

1882-1884,  Edwin  Muller  1901- 

1882-1885,  J.  R.  Howeston  1902- 

1882-1884,  M.  M.  Hooper  1903- 

1883-1886,  J.  H.  Lumpkin  1904- 
1884-1887,  B.  A.  Wilson 

1884-1887,  Saml.  P.  Fulton  1904- 

1885-1888,  W.  C.  Alexander  1904- 

1887-1890,  Neel  L.  Anderson  1905- 

1887-1889,  Jas.  A.  Bryan  1905, 
1888-1891,  George  G.  Mayes 

1889-1892,  W.  0.  Shewmaker  1906- 

1889-1891,  Luther  A.  Gates  1906- 

1891-1893,  S.  M.  Rankin  1906 

1892-1893,  J.  M.  Wells  1906- 

1892-1896,  J.  M.  Mecklin  1906- 

1893-1895,  E.  R.  Leyburn  1907- 

1894-1897,  John  H.  Grey  1908- 

1895-1897,     Hugh    R.    Mur-  1908- 

chison 

Total,  to  Forty-seven  Students,  from  1869  to  1908 

$    18,839.50 

Total    Assistance,    from    1822   to    1908,    to   Seventy-seven 

Students,  (Fifteen  Church  Members) S    40,971 .  50 


1898,  Hervey  McDowell, 
Jr. 

1900,  Frank  H.   Ward- 
law 

R.  C.  Bell 

S.  W.  Brown 

1899,  Duncan  W.  Doug- 
las 

1900,  H.  Maxcy  Smith 
1902,  T.  F.  Haney 

1901,  Alexander  Martin 
1904,  L.  W.  Brown 

1904,  J.  J.  Brown 

1905,  Palmer  C.  DuBose 

1906,  Warner    H.    Du- 
Bose 

1906,  P.  H.  Moore 
1905,  J.  B.  Branch 
1908,  J.  R.  Rowan 

Student  Room,  Col- 
umbia Seminary 

1908,  A.  T.  Bridgeman 

1909,  T.  J.  Hutchinson 

1907,  C.  B.  Yeargan 

1908,  J.  B.  Coker 

1907,  J.  C.  McPheeters 

1908,  Yosip  Benjamin 
W.  H.  Hamilton 
W.  J.  Roach 


70 

The  several  contributed  amounts  to  the  Theological  Seminary 
at  Columbia  have  been  by  simple  cash  gift,  to  the  Seminary's 
Contingent  Fund,  after  the  War,  and  to  the  Students'  Room, 
gifts  at  Dr.  Mack's  discretion,  and  for  use  of  needy  students; 
the  assistance  to  students  at  large  is  not  confined  to  the  State 
alone,  aid  having  been  extended  most  willingly,  to  the  extent 
of  the  Society 's  means,  to  students  in  Alabama,  North  Carolina, 
Louisiana,  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania. 


The  Missionary  Achievements  of  the 
Church* 


Historical   Sketch  of  the   Missionary   Work  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church* 


G)mpiled  by  Mrs.  Mary  McD*  Sticfcney. 


EXERCISES  OF  TUESDAY,  MAY  4,  1909. 


In  a  lecture  at  Westminister  Abbey  on  the  day  of  interces- 
sion for  missions  in  1873,  Professor  Max  Muller  classified  the 
religions  of  mankind  as  missionary  and  non-missionary,  the 
former  were  alive,  the  latter  were  dying  or  dead.  A  classifica- 
tion, says  Sir  Alfred  C.  Lyall,  which  was  not  based  on  an  un- 
important or  accidental  characteristic,  but  rested  on  what  was 
the  very  heart-blood  in  every  system  of  human  faith. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  we  are  told,  the 
whole  Church,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  "was  engaged  in 
diffusing  the  Hght  of  the  Gospel,"  "Societies  were  formed 
numbering  multitudes  of  subscribers."  Missionary  reports 
were  everywhere  distributed  and  young  men  aspired  to  the 
work.  Gary  and  his  associates  were  in  India  and  the  Judsons 
in  Burma.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  was  organized.  Into  such  an  atmosphere  as  that 
she  came.  Charleston  being  then  a  commercial  centre  of  im- 
portance was  in  a  position  to  realize  the  needs  of  the  East,  and 
early  exerted  herself  to  assist  the  missionary  effort  in  India. 
Since  early  in  the  century  the  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
denominations,  worked  together,  it  has  been  difficult  to  find 
many  separate  efforts  of  either  denomination  at  the  beginning. 
The  records  speak  of  a  school  in  India  called  the  Charleston 
School,  and  of  the  Juvenile  Heathen  School  Society,  which 
had  branches  in  all  the  Sabbath  schools  and  in  some  of  the  day 
schools  and  young  ladies'  seminaries.  The  female  Missionary 
Society  sent  $170  in  1819  and  an  individual  SIOO.  In  1822 
T.  Fleming,  President  of  Second  Church,  and  others  gave  $184 
to  Foreign  Missions.     In  1828  The  Female  Missionary  Society 


n 

of  the  same  church  gave  $110  and  the  Female  Auxiliary  1120. 
These  items  taken  from  the  reports  of  the  American  Board 
indicates  the  direction  of  this  church's  effort  at  that  time. 

Although  Foreign  Missions  occupied  so  much  of  the  atten- 
tion of  christians  in  the  early  part  of  the  19th  century,  Do- 
mestic Missions  were  not  neglected.  It  was  a  work  which 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  Presbyteries  and  the  Synod  from 
the  first.  The  destitutions  within  their  own  bounds  and  the 
aborigines  on  their  own  borders  were  subjects  of  anxious 
thought.  The  General  Assembly  in  1800  appointed  the  Rev. 
Jas.  Hall  Missionary  to  the  Natchez  for  several  months.  The 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas  sent  the  Rev.  Messrs.  J.  H.  Bowman 
and  William  Montgomery  to  accompany  him.  Dr.  Howe  says 
hardly  any  domestic  Missionary  effort  of  this  last  century  has 
been  covered  with  greater  success  or  awakened  a  deeper  interest 
than  in  this  department  of  Christian  effort. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina. 

The  Assembly  remitted  to  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  the 
matter  of  sending  Missionaries  into  the  destitutions  within 
their  own  bounds  and  to  the  remote  Southwest,  and  in  1819 
The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  was  organized  for  that  purpose.  Among  its  officers  we 
find  names  of  interest  to  this  church.  The  Recording  Secretary 
was  Rev.  T.  C.  Henry  who  afterwards  became  her  pastor.  The 
Rev.  Andrew  Flynn  and  William  Pressley  among  the  managers, 
Pastor  and  Elder. 

As  has  been  said  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  had  the  care  of 
the  destitutions  within  her  own  bounds  and  of  the  remote  South- 
west. 

The  missionaries  were  of  two  kinds,  pastors  temporarily 
withdrawn  from  their  charges,  and  licentiates  who  were  to 
preach,  and  if  possible,  to  congregate  the  people  and  begin 
churches.  Dr.  Flinn  himself  had  been  appointed  by  the  Com- 
mission to  this  work  just  previous  to  his  call  to  Second  Church, 
a  church  which  has  ever  held  missions  as  an  important  expres- 
sion of  her  spiritual  life.  She  has  earnestly,  even  anxiously 
striven  to  sustain  those  who  go  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature.  Princeton  Seminary  advised,  if  it  did  not  re- 
quire, its  licentiates  to  itinerate  in  the  South,  taking  their 
instructions  from  those  appointed  by  the  Synod  of  the  Caro- 
linas to  whom  the  matter  had  been  left  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly. 


73 

The  writer  has  been  struck  by  the  number  of  men  afterwards 
prominent  in  the  Church  who  began  their  careers  as  mission- 
aries. 

City  Missions. 

In  addition  to  the  Foreign  and  Domestic  Missionary  efforts 
were  the  City  Missions.  The  Charleston  Bible  Society  was  or- 
ganized in  1810.  The  ReHgious  Tract  Society  was  formed  in 
1815.  In  the  same  year  The  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
Union  Female  Association  for  assisting  in  the  Education  of 
pious  youth  for  the  gospel  ministry  was  formed.  In  three 
years  it  had  raised  and  expended  over  $5,000,  and  founded  a 
Scholarship  in  Princeton  Seminary.  In  1818  the  Marine  Bible 
Society  was  formed  and  the  Female  Domestic  Missionary  So- 
ciety was  established  to  provide  and  support  Missions  in  the 
City  of  Charleston.  Alfred  Wright  was  their  first  missionary. 
He  was  afterward  missionary  to  the  Choctaws;  Aaron  War- 
ner was  their  next  missionary.  A  preaching  place  was  provided 
and  committees  of  invitation  assisted  the  missionary  in  his 
work .  The  Rev .  Joseph  Brown  was  their  missionary  the  same 
year.  He  directed  his  attention  to  the  seaman  preaching  at 
Mariner's  Church,  and  laboring  elsewhere  during  the  week. 
The  Marine  Bible  Society  supplied  Bibles;  Bethel  Union  lent  its 
aid.  In  January,  1823,  Mr.  Brown  came  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Charleston  Port  Society.  In  parting  with  the  ladies  he 
recommends  a  mission  chapel  in  some  central  spot  and  a  perma- 
nent missionary,  and  points  out  a  new  field  for  their  labors.  An 
earlier  missionary  was  the  Rev.  Jonas  King,  who  was  with  them 
from  November,  1819,  to  May,  1820.  He,  too,  had  preached 
to  seamen,  visited  Sunday  schools,  found  his  way  in  Jewish 
families,  attended  the  Orphan  House,  Alms  House  and  Marine 
Hospital.  "The  formation  of  the  Society,"  says  he,  in  his 
report  May,  1820,  "I  hail  as  the  appearance  of  a  star  over  this 
city  hke  that  at  Bethlehem."  The  Rev.  Jonas  King  had  been 
ordained  with  the  special  view  of  laboring  among  seamen  at  the 
same  time  Rev.  Alfred  Wright  was  ordained  with  a  view  to  his 
joining  the  school  at  Elliot  under  the  Rev.  Cyrus  Kingsburg. 

The  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Missionary  Society  for 
promoting  the  interests  of  religion  which  had  existed  for  some 
time,  changed  its  name  to  The  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 
Missionary  Society  of  South  Carolina.  In  1818  they  employed 
the  Rev.  Henry  White.  They  also  wanted  to  engage  Messrs. 
King  and  Smith  as  Missionaries  for  destitute  parts  of  South 
Carolina  and  to  support  Rev.  Mr.  Kingsburg  as  their  Mis- 
sionary among  the  Choctaws. 


H 
The  Juvenile  Missionary  Society. 

The  Second  Presbyterian  Church  had  been  for  some  time 
without  a  settled  pastor,  when  in  1831  the  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth, 
studying  at  Princeton  College,  was  invited  to  visit  them. 
While  a  student  in  London  Mr.  Smyth  had  offered  himself  to 
the  London  Missionary  Society,  but  not  being  considered 
sufficiently  robust  his  hope  was  disappointed.  In  an  address 
delivered  before  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of  Sunday  schools,  in 
the  Wentworth  Street  Baptist  Church,  he  says,  "when  I  was 
first  led  to  cherish  the  hopes  of  the  Gospel,  the  first  field  in 
which  I  attempted  to  exercise  and  develop  the  principles  of 
true  piety  was  the  Juvenile  Missionary  Society." 

Mr.  Smyth  was  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  missions.  Realiz- 
ing that  what  is  learned  in  childhood  becomes  the  habit  of 
riper  years,  he  very  early  in  his  ministry  began  urging  on  the 
congregation  the  duty  of  educating  their  children  in  the  value 
and  need  of  missions.  To  this  end  the  Juvenile  Missionary 
Society  was  formed.  The  meetings  were  to  be  held  quarterly 
at  the  Depository,  in  Chalmers  street.  To  further  the  interest 
of  the  Society  a  little  magazine  was  published  called  the 
Missionary  Paper.  Cards  conveniently  ruled  were  distributed 
to  such  of  the  children  and  teachers  as  wished  them,  on  which 
was  entered  the  amounts  they  gave  or  collected  from  family 
or  friends.  The  cards  were  to  be  returned  with  the  amounts 
at  the  quarterly  meeting,  when,  by  the  presence  of  parents  and 
friends,  singing,  interesting  talks  and  the  exhibition  of  curiosi- 
ties from  heathen  lands,  the  meeting  was  to  be  made  as  much 
of  an  occasion  as  possible  to  encourage  the  children. 

Very  respectable  sums  were  collected.  A  copy  of  the  little 
magazine  lies  before  the  writer,  dated  June,  1833.  Inside  the 
cover  is  the  treasurer's  report  for  the  preceding  quarter: 

A  church  collection.  .  .  .$  31.56 
The  Gentlemen's  Mis- 
sionary Society 108.00 

Collection  handed  in.  .  .    187.23 

$  326.79 


700  Copies  of  the  Mag- 
azine were  printed 
and  paid  for 22.00 

700  Copies  for  the 

succeeding  quarter. . .   22.00 
Small  expenses 50       $     44.50     $  282.29 


IS 

Which,  by  the  vote  of  the  Society,  was  given  for  the  missions 
in  China.     Here  began  the  work  of  Second  Church  in  China. 

The  next  quarter  S206  was  voted  to  India. 

The  contents  of  the  magazine  embraced  letters  from  mission- 
aries, articles  descriptive  of  the  country,  the  ways  of  the  people 
and  the  lives  of  the  missionaries  in  foreign  lands;  in  short,  any- 
thing which  would  give  information  or  excite  interest.  Years 
after  the  minutes  of  Session  record  a  committee  appointed 
to  canvass,  and  later  the  magazines  are  ordered  distributed 
where  they  will  do  the  most  good,  on  the  principle  that  when 
there  is  no  information  there  is  no  interest. 

In  1834  we  find  recorded  a  legacy  from  Ed.  Ogier,  $20. 

Ten  years  later  Session  is  found  taking  it  into  consideration 
how  the  subject  of  missions  can  be  brought  more  fully  to  the 
attention  of  the  Sunday  school.  Dr.  Smyth  preaches  a  sermon 
to  the  teachers  and  scholars,  at  which  a  good  degree  of  interest 
is  manifest. 

In  1848  Maria  Moore,  a  colored  member  of  the  Church  and 
widow  of  R.  Moore,  transferred  eight  shares  of  Bank  of  South 
Carolina  stock  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  the  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  in  Africa,  interest  on  which  was  tp  be  given  to  Mr. 
Catto  as  long  as  he  labored  there  and  maintained  his  Christian 
character. 

In  June,  of  the  same  year,  Session  having  taken  into  con- 
sideration the  duty  and  advantage  of  bringing  up  the  young,  in 
the  spirit  and  practice  of  missionary  effort,  and  considering 
the  difficulties  which  have  been  found  in  securing  the  attend- 
ance of  children  and  of  parents  and  teachers  at  any  hour  during 
the  business  day,  resolved  that  an  hour  of  the  Sunday-school 
on  Sabbath  once  a  quarter  be  devoted  to  services  appropriate 
to  the  mission  cause.  An  interesting  programme  was  pre- 
pared. The  money  collected  was  to  be  given  for  the  support  of 
mission  schools. 

In  1849  a  deed,  legally  executed  by  the  Hon.  Mitchell  King 
and  recorded,  gave,  by  Maria  Moore,  widow  of  R.  Moore,  by 
whose  request  the  donation  is  made,  three  lots  of  land,  the  in- 
come from  which  is  to  be  appropriated  to  the  advancement  of 
foreign  missions. 

The  clerk  of  Session  was  ordered  to  transmit  their  thanks 
to  Maria  Moore  for  her  very  valuable  and  generous  gift.  The 
Missionary  Society  still  reaps  the  benefit  of  the  bequest.  Not 
only  is  the  amount  of  interest  a  considerable  help  in  increasing 
the  Society's  usefulness,  but  it  serves  as  a  rallying  point  for 


76 

slackened  energies,  a  point  from  which  to  take  courage  and  go  on. 
In  1851  Samuel  Mick  is  to  join  the  Church  in  South  Africa. 

Rev.  John  B.  Adger  in  Smyrna. 

In  1833  the  Rev.  John  B.  Adger, a  member  of  Second  Church, 
offers  himself  at  the  close  of  his  theological  course,  pursued  at 
Princeton  Seminary,  to  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions.  While  awaiting  his  appointment,  the 
Southern  Board  of  Missions  sends  him  as  agent  to  represent  the 
cause  in  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas.  During  his  tour  he  visited 
sixteen  churches  and  collected  upwards  of  S2.400. 

Being  appointed  to  Armenia,  with  his  wife  and  five  other 
missionaries,  he  sailed  from  Boston  for  Smyrna,  where  he  ar- 
rived after  sixty-four  days.  Mr.  Adger 's  work  was  to  be  the 
care  of  the  presses  and  the  translating  of  the  New  Testament 
as  soon  as  he  had  acquired  the  language.  There  was  an  ancient 
Armenian  New  Testament  held  in  high  repute  among  scholars, 
but  in  Mr.  Adger 's  day  the  language  had  so  changed  through 
the  admixture  of  foreign  words,  few  could  read  it.  The 
Armenians  are  a  scattered  people,  living  all  over  Asia.  It  was 
felt  that  if  they  could  be  evangelized  these  groups  would  be 
centres  to  diffuse  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  There  was  also 
published  a  magazine  of  useful  knowledge,  Pilgrim's  Pro- 
gress, an  abridged  copy  of  D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Refor- 
mation and  tracts  or  pamphlets  suitable  for  advancing  the 
cause.  Mr.  Adger  had  taken  with  him  a  copy  of  a  catechism 
the  Rev.  C.  C.  Jones  had  used  in  his  work  in  Liberty  County, 
Georgia.  As  soon  as  his  Armenian  translator  saw  it  he  was 
urgent  to  have  it  translated  for  use  among  his  own  people, 
which  was  done,  largely,  not  literally. 

The  missionary  loved  his  work.  After  laboring  happily  for 
twelve  years  he  came  home  for  a  year,  He  had  had  a  bad 
attack  of  smallpox,  made  a  slow  recovery,  and  was  left  with 
his  eyes  much  weakened,  a  serious  handicap  for  one  much  of 
whose  work  was  correcting  proof. 

Religious  Instruction  of  the  Negroes:  Zion  Church. 

In  1847  circumstances  connected  with  the  American  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  having  compelled  Mr.  Adger  to  give  up  his 
return  to  Smyrna,  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  religious 
condition  of  the  negroes  in  Charleston.  In  Dr.  Smyth's  church 
were  some  three  hundred  members.  ' '  I  often  looked  at  them  as 
they  sat  in  their  gallery,"  writes  Dr.  Adger,  "and  felt  how  far 


77 

preaching  to  his  white  congregation  went  over  their  heads.  At 
length  my  resolution  was  taken  to  devote  myself  to  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  negroes . ' '  Mr.  Adger  laid  the  matter  before 
the  Session  and  made  the  proposition  to  be  their  pastor,  the 
Sunday  school  teachers  from  Second  Church  continuing  their 
work.  Such  a  proposal  under  existing  conditions  required 
serious  consideration.  However,  it  was  all  finally  arranged  and 
the  basement  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  Lecture  Room 
fitted  up  for  their  exclusive  use. 

This  was  a  domestic  mission  on  a  larger  scale  than  usual,  the 
second  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  Later,  a  church  was  built  on  An- 
son street.  After  six  years  of  most  successful  work,  Mr.  Ad- 
ger's  eyes  failing,  he  was  obliged  to  resign,  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  Ferdinand  Jacobs,  who  served  as  pastor  for  two 
years. 

In  May,  1853,  the  Rev.  John  L.  Girardeau  was  invited  to 
take  charge  and  accepted.  Mr.  Girardeau  was  a  powerful 
preacher  and  under  his  pastorate  the  congregation  soon  out- 
grew its  building.  A  lot  on  Calhoun  street  was  secured  and 
the  largest  auditorium  in  the  city  was  erected,  called  by  the 
negroes  Zion  Church.  This  work  continued  to  increase  and 
prosper  until  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The  property,  hav- 
ing been  given  for  the  use  of  the  colored  Presbyterians,  is 
held  by  a  trustee,  and  is  still  used  by  that  denomination. 

Activity  Before  the  War. 

In  1848  a  mission  work  among  the  whites  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city,  which  was  called  the  Neck,  was  undertaken  by 
the  Session  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  A  colporteur 
was  employed  and  supported  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  among 
the  people  and  distributing  tracts  and  other  religious  matter. 

While  it  has  been  shown  that  great  activity  in  the  work  of 
Foreign  and  Domestic  Missions  prevailed,  and  some  of  the 
many  ways  in  which  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  showed 
her  earnestness  and  zeal  in  the  cause  have  been  detailed  it  is 
impossible  to  give  the  full  amount  contributed  owing  to  the 
fact  that  no  report  of  the  beneficiaries  of  the  Church  was 
made  to  the  Assembly  before  1836,  since  the  distribution  was 
in  the  hands  of  private  societies,  in  distinction  from  boards, 
which  afterwards  took  charge  and  still  do.  We  find  in  1860 
the  Church  began  to  prepare  for  her  semi-centennial,  which  was 
to  take  place  in  1861.  The  records  are  made  for  twenty-three 
years  and  show  that: 


78 


For  Home  Missions $  9,096.00 

For  Foreign  Missions 14,546.00 


Total  of $23,642.00 

had  been  contributed. 

The  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

It  was  1869  before  the  Church  again  took  up  the  support  of 
foreign  missions  and  has  continued  in  her  effort  to  the  present 
time.  There  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  organized  soci- 
ety for  the  purpose  until  the  coming  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Houston 
from  China  in  1876.  Mr.  Houston  had  been  a  missionary 
for  some  years  and  his  health  failing,  Mrs.  Houston,  who  was 
also  a  missionary,  brought  him  back  to  America  in  the  hope 
that  the  home  climate  would  prove  a  cure.  During  his  stay 
in  America  he  and  Mrs.  Houston  embraced  every  opportunity 
to  present  the  cause  of  missions  particularly  in  China. 

The  needs  and  the  opportunities  of  that  great  nation  so 
appealed  to  the  friends  of  missions  in  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  that,  in  January,  1876,  the  forming  of  a  society  was 
discussed.  The  following  week  it  was  organized  by  Dr.  Brack- 
ett: 

Mrs.  G.  R.  Brackett,  president. 

Miss  S.  D.  A.  Smyth,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Miss  M.  C.  Adger,  recording  secretary. 

The  meetings  were  to  be  held  monthly  in  the  Lecture  Room 
of  the  church.  The  plan  of  exercises  was  simple,  varied  to 
first  suit  the  circumstances .  The  first  meeting  was  held  in  March 
and,  as  had  been  the  custom  more  than  forty  years  before,  the 
children  and  youth  were  encouraged  to  take  an  interest  in  the 
Society. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  the  treasurer,  in  the  first  annual  re- 
port, January,  1877,  notes  that  the  membership  had  increased 
from  30  to  147,  and  that  the  amount  collected  was  S230— $225 
of  which  had  been  sent  to  Dr.  Leighton  Wilson,  chairman  of 
the  Southern  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  for  the  support  of  one 
teacher  and  four  scholars  in  Mrs.  Randolph's  Boarding  School 
for  Girls  in  China.  At  the  start  they  had  told  Mr.  Houston 
that  they  would  try  for  SI 00,  and  were  greatly  rejoiced  to 
have  more  than  doubled  the  amount,  particularly  considering 
the  political  excitement  and  financial  distress  of  the  time. 
After  the  reports  Mr.  J.  N.  Robson,  who  was  present,  made  an 
earnest  appeal  in  behalf  of  Mrs.  DuBose's  Boarding  School  in 


79 

Soochow,  which  was  in  danger  of  being  closed  by  the  Board 
for  lack  of  funds,  proposing  that  if  the  Society  would  give  Mrs. 
DuBose  $100  he  would  pledge  the  Sunday  school  for  $150. 
After  discussion  the  proposal  was  accepted. 

Dr.  Brackett  then  addressed  the  Society,  congratulated 
them  on  having  exceeded  their  own  expectations,  and  encour- 
aged them  to  go  forward  in  the  work. 

In  the  second  annual  report  it  is  learned  that  by  the  sale  of 
some  Chinese  embroideries,  donations  and  subscriptions,  the 
amount  raised  is  $251.  Of  this  amount  there  was  sent  to  Dr. 
Leighton  Wilson  for  the  use  of  Mrs.  Randolph's  school  $150 
and  to  Mrs.  DuBose's  school  $100. 

In  May,  1878,  appears  the  entry  in  the  Society  minutes  30 
cents,  a  gift  from  a  Society  of  little  girls,  called  "The  Little 
Gleaners."  The  next  we  hear  of  the  Little  Gleaners  is  a  gift 
of  $4 .  50  and  again  of  $6 . 

Support  of  Mrs.  DuBose's  School  in  Soochow. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Wilson  the  Society,  in  1878,  assumed 
the  entire  charge  of  Mrs.  DuBose's  school.  This  meant  the 
raising  of  $350,  of  which  the  Sunday  school  would  give  $100. 

In  consequence  of  this  Mrs.  DuBose  began  a  correspondence 
with  the  Society.  She  wrote  very  interesting  letters  and  by 
her  graphic  descriptions  helped  to  keep  the  Society  interested 
in  its  undertaking,  and  even  the  $35  extra  asked  for  the  en- 
larging of  her  school  room  came  without  trouble.  In  her  re- 
ply she  gave  an  account  of  a  Chinese  Christmas  tree  and  en- 
closed an  original  letter  from  a  little  Chinese  boy,  translated 
by  herself,  thanking  the  Society  for  the  increased  comfort  of 
the  school  room.  When  the  children  heard  her  story  they 
were  anxious  to  contribute  and  made  up  a  package  of  gifts, 
which  was  sent. 

May,  1880,  a  united  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Societies  of 
the  Presbyterian  Churches  was  held  in  Glebe  Street  Church. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Adger,  twelve  years  missionary  to  the  Arm-enians, 
addressed  the  meeting,  also  Dr.  Leighton  Wilson  and  the  Rev. 
Allan  Wright,  an  Indian.  The  congregation  was  very  much 
interested  in  the  latter,  who  told  of  the  missionary  who  came 
to  them  many  years  before,  and  how  he  had  taken  that  mis- 
sionary's name,  Wright,  and  was  himself  a  missionary. 

Assisting  Miss  Safford's  Work  Among  Women. 

In  1884  came  Miss  Safford,  the  Soochow  missionary.  She 
made  a  most  touching  appeal  for  those  sisters  on  the  other  side 


80 

of  the  world,  that  to  them,  in  their  darkness  and  misery,  might  be 
sent  the  comfort  of  a  hope  beyond  the  grave.  Very  soon  after 
Miss  Safford's  visit  Dr.  Davis  met  with  the  three  Presbyterian 
missionary  societies  and  gave  them  much  information  on  the 
methods  and  results  of  the  work  in  China .  In  his  address  he  men- 
tioned, to  the  surprise  of  many,  that  after  twelve  years  of  ser- 
vice, Dr.  DuBose  was  still  living  in  an  unsanitary  Chinese  house. 
He  told  also  new  things  of  Miss  Safford's  wonderful  work  among 
the  women,  which  so  aroused  the  sympathy  of  the  Society 
that  $70  were  immediately  raised  in  order  that  she  might 
secure  the  'Stereopticon  she  so  much  desired.  Owing  to  the 
conditions  existing  in  China  it  became  necessary  that  a  home 
for  the  single  lady  missionaries  in  Soochow  should  be  secured. 
Mrs.  Josiah  Sibley,  of  Augusta,  Ga.,  undertook  to  raise  the 
full  amount  from  the  missionary  societies  of  the  Southern 
Church.  This  Society  keenly  alive  to  the  need  and  import- 
ance of  the  plan,  readily  furnished  $300.  So  great  was  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  societies  that,  in  a  very  short  time  $3,145 
was  collected,  sufficient  to  have  the  home  built  at  once. 
Miss  Safford  became  the  first  inmate  and  it  continued  to  be 
her  home  for  the  remainder  of  her  life. 

In  January  1887,  Miss  Loula  Smythe  was  elected  president 
and  Miss  Sarah  R.  Smythe,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Mrs. 
DuBose 's  school  was  still  the  object  of  the  Society's  care. 

In  1888  the  Missionary  Society  in  the  Orphan  House  donated 
a  large  box  of  fancy  articles  to  be  sold,  the  proceeds  to  be  added 
to  the  funds  of  this  Society,  proving  how  deeply  interested 
all  were  in  the  cause  of  missions. 

Miss  Essie  Wilson  Sent  to  the  Foreign  Field. 

Miss  Essie  Wilson,  a  member  of  the  Sunday  school  and  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  determined  to  offer  herself  for  the 
foreign  field  in  China.  In  May  this  Society  and  Sunday  school 
claimed  the  privilege  of  her  support.  Miss  Baldwin,  of  Staun- 
tn,  Va.,  gave  the  necessary  outfit  and  the  first  year's  salary. 
It  was  not,  therefore,  until  1889  that  the  Society  became 
responsible  for  Miss  Wilson.  The  tie  thus  formed  has  strength- 
ened and  the  love  grown  through  all  the  following  years.  For 
three  years  after  Miss  Wilson's  arrival  in  China  she  was  an 
assistant  in  Mrs.  Randolph's  school  in  Soochow.  In  1892  Miss 
Wilson  married  the  Rev.  Francis  Price,  a  missionary  of  the 
Southern  Church  on  the  field.  After  their  marriage  they 
opened  the  mission  at  Sinchang.  The  amount  now  required 
for  Mrs.  Price's  support  was  $400.     Having  $225  in  hand  over 


81 

the  required  amount,  this  was  sent  to  Mrs.  Price  direct  to  use 
as  she  saw  fit,  part  of  which  she  expended  in  fitting  up  a  dis- 
pensary, which  proved  of  great  assistance  to  her  in  her  hospital 
work.  The  Society  later  on  enabled  her  to  buy  a  house  boat, 
capable  of  carrying  twenty  people.  With  it  they  followed  the 
canals  which  everywhere  cross  the  country,  and  were  thus 
enabled  to  penetrate  into  the  outlying  districts,  extending  the 
work  as  would  not  otherwise  be  possible. 

The  Junior  Missionary  Society. 

In  1899  Mrs.  S.  G.  Stoney,  the  president,  was  obliged  to 
resign,  and  was  succeeded  in  office  by  Miss  Susan  Smythe, 
who  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Mrs.  George  C.  McDermid  as 
president.  During  her  presidency  new  methods  were  tried  to 
increase  the  interest  and  attendance  of  the  members,  which 
proved  eminently  successful. 

In  1907  on  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  McDermid,  Mrs.  Fraser, 
wife  of  Rev.  J.  K.  G.  Fraser,  pastor,  was  elected  to  the  office. 

In  1900  two  young  ladies  of  the  Church  were  found  willing 
to  make  the  first  experiment  in  a  Junior  Missionary  Society. 
After  a  year  Mrs.  S.  G.  Stoney  and  Miss  Amey  N.  Allan  con- 
tinued the  effort.  It  is  now  firmly  established  under  the 
supervision  of  Miss  A.  N.  Allan,  and  has  been  the  means  of 
educating  the  younger  members  of  the  church  in  the  work  of 
missions. 

The  Forward  Movement. 

At  the  Missionary  meeting  in  July,  1907,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fraser 
addressed  the  Society  and  introduced  the  Rev.  Mr.  Coit,  who 
was  on  waiting  orders  for  Korea.  He  had  been  appointed  by 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  present  the  Forward  Move- 
ment to  the  societies  and  churches  at  large.  After  an  inter- 
esting talk  on  Korea,  Mr.  Coit  explained  the  object  of  the 
Forward  Movement  and  urged  the  Society  to  adopt  it.  In 
November  Mr.  Coit  again  visited  Charleston  and  preached  in 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  and  then  presented  the  cause 
of  the  Forward  Movement  with  such  force  and  clearness  that 
the  deepest  interest  was  aroused,  each  one  feeling  the  cause  to 
be  his  own.  The  result  was  that,  in  connection  with  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  the  Church  undertook  the  support  of  two 
missionaries.  At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  deacons  the  gen- 
tlemen decided,  instead  of  forming  a  committee  in  the  church, 
as  the  other  churches  do,  to  leave  raising  the  amount  to  the 
Missionary  Society. 


82 
Home  and  Foreign. 

Though  the  Church  from  its  earUest  history  had  been  giving 
through  the  Sunday  collections  to  the  cause  of  Home  Missions, 
there  had  never  been  a  specific  organization  to  undertake  this 
work  until  December,  1906,  when  Dr.  Morris,  the  secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  came  for  the  purpose  of  stirring 
up  interest  in  this  cause.  The  strenuous  life  incident  to  es- 
tablishing a  home  in  a  new  country  left  the  settler  with 
little  thought  and  less  time  to  take  the  initiative  in  estab- 
lishing places  of  worship.  To  supply  this  need  the  Home  Miss- 
ionary department  of  the  board  was  organized  and  for  this 
cause  asked  the  aid  of  the  older  churches.  The  Second  Church 
agreed  to  undertake  the  support  of  one  missionary  for  a  year. 
It  was  not  deemed  necessary  to  form  another  Society,  but  to 
have  the  foreign  and  home  departments  work  in  unision,  having 
the  same  presiding  officer  and  the  same  secretary,  but  two 
treasurers.  The  plan  has  proved  successful  and  the  Society 
has  succeeded  in  fulfilling  its  pledges  for  the  past  two  years 
and  has  no  reason  to  fear  for  the  present  year. 

During  all  the  years  of  the  Society's  existence  there  have 
been  frequent  visits  from  missionaries,  who  have  placed  before 
the  home  people  such  vivid  pictures  as  only  eye-witnesses  can 
present.  Through  these  eyes  we  have  looked  on  Japan,  on 
China,  on  India,  on  Persia,  on  Armenia,  on  Italy,  on  France, 
on  Brazil,  on  Mexico  and  on  our  Indians  of  the  far  West. 
Among  the  host  of  names  that  might  be  mentioned  are  Mrs. 
Francis  Price,  the  DuBoses,  Miss  Kemper,  Miss  Davison,  Mrs. 
Randolph,  Miss  Safford,  Mr.  Painter  and  Dr.  Reimer 

In  looking  back  over  the  one  hundred  years  of  Missionary 
effort  of  this  church,  the  difficulty  of  an  exact  summing  up  is 
realized,  when  we  find  how  closely  the  early  years  of  her  life 
and  givings  are  bound  up  in  those  of  the  Congregational  and 
Presbyterian  Associations.  It  is  not  until  1836  that  any  thing 
definite  can  be  found.  Even  then  figures  may  not  be  as  full 
as  could  be  wished.  From  the  General  Assembly's  minutes  it 
is  learned  that  from  1836  to  1861  (42  and  53  no  report)  and  from 
1869  to  1908  inclusive,  there  was  given  $53,437    to  the  cause. 

In  closing  a  particularly  interesting  talk  before  the  Missionary 
Society  of  this  church,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Graham  said;  'Tt  is  your 
work.     We  are  there,  but  you  send  us  and  are  responsible. ' ' 

Note:  By  request  of  the  Advisory  Committee  a  sketch  of  the  Junior  Missionary 
Society  was  prepared  by  Miss  Amey  N.  Allan,  and  an  historical  account  of  the  Moore 
and  the  Arms'  Funds,  by  Mr.  J.  N.  Robson,  as  information  contributory  to  Mrs. 
Stickney's  review.  Letters  and  records  from  various  sources.  Dr.  Roberts,  of  the 
Northern  Church,  Dr.  Chester  and  Dr.  Law,  are  likewise  to  be  acknowledged  with 
hearty  thanks  as  sources  of  information. 


Pastor  1903-19.  .  . 

After  Photograph   1909,  by  Holland, 
Charleston,   S.   C. 


Post-Centennial  Sermon* 


Preached  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Charleston,  S.  C« 


By  the  PiRtof,  the  Rev.  J.  Keir  Fraser,  D.  D. 


SUNDAY,  MAY  J6,  J909, 


Philippians,  III,  13-14: — "One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the  things 
which  are  behind  and  stretching  forward  to  the  things  which  are 
before,  I  press  on  toward  the  goal  unto  the  prize  of  the  calling  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ.^' 

This  is  the  favorite  metaphor  of  the  great  Apostle.  It  is  one 
of  the  many  figures  which  he  borrowed  from  the  games, 
and  athletic  contests,  which,  at  that  time,  were  in  fashion  all 
over  the  Roman  world.  Sometimes  he  referred  to  the  brutal, 
bloody  Roman  prize-fight,  as  when  he  spoke  about  fighting 
the  good  fight,  or  about  buffeting  his  own  body.  Oftener, 
however,  he  had  in  mind  the  games  and  races  of  the  Greeks, 
when  there  came  before  his  vision  the  runners  and  the  chariot- 
eers, whirling  past,  in  their  strenuous  endeavor  to  be  first  at 
the  winning  post.  He  liked  to  compare  Christian  life  to  one  Of 
these  races;  because  it  was  into  these  things  the  young  men  of 
that  day  flung  themselves  with  all  the  energy  and  enthusiasm 
of  youth.  These  games,  fortunately,  were  free  from  those 
demoralizing  traits  which  the  money  element  introduces  into 
our  modern  American  games.  The  prize  was  really  of  no  in- 
trinsic worth  at  all.  It  was,  often,  only  a  handful  of  leaves 
woven  into  a  crown,  which  St.  Paul,  you  remember,  called  the 
' '  corruptible  crown ' '  because  it  so  quickly  faded  away.  And 
the  runners,  moreover,  were  not  professionals;  they  were  not 
paid  for  their  services;  they  were  amateurs;  and  they  came 
from  the  best  families  of  Greece. 

These  games  must  have  had  a  wonderful  effect  on  the  youth 
of  that  day — not  only  physically,  but  morally.     There  many 


84 

a  young,  indolent  Greek,  who  would  otherwise  have  been 
dawdling  his  life  aWay  in  vicious  pleasures,  would  be  taught 
the  fundamental  lesson  of  temperance  and  self-control.  And 
many  a  man,  who  at  other  times  seemed  incapable  of  the  least 
exertion,  or  of  suffering  any  kind  of  hardship,  would  put  his 
name  down  for  these  contests — and  it  was  as  if  a  new  man  had 
been  born  into  him — a  man  of  iron  endurance,  capable  of  the 
most  splendid  enthusiasms.  There  was  nothing  quite  like  it, 
so  far  as  I  know,  elsewhere  in  the  ancient  world. 

So  the  great  Apostle  liked  to  draw  figures  of  the  Christian 
life  from  these  things.  He  admired  all  that  energy  and  de- 
termination and  tenacity  of  purpose;  only  he  wished  that  it 
might  all  be  brought  over,  and  given  to  a  higher  service — as,  I 
feel  sure,  you  and  I  often  wish  to-day.  We  think,  that  if  only 
one-half,  or  even  one-fourth  of  the  strength  expended  by  young 
men,  in  this  City,  on  our  public  games,  could  only  be  brought 
and  laid  at  the  Master's  feet,  for  His  service,  what  a  glad 
day  it  would  be  for  all  of  our  churches,  and  what  a  mighty 
push  forward  would  be  given  the  wheels  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Now  you  will  understand  that  here  the  Apostle  has  the  foot- 
runner  in  view;  and  you  can  picture  him  for  yourselves  as  the 
apostle  saw  him:  with  body  bent  forward,  all  the  brain  power  in 
front,  eyes  so  intently  fixed  on  the  winning-post  as  to  be  utterly 
oblivious  to  everything-  behind  him.  He  hears  nothing  but 
the  shouting  of  the  spectators  and  the  beat  of  his  own  heart 
urging  him  on.  And  so  on  he  goes,  never  looking  back,  ever 
pressing  forward,  until  the  end.  And  this,  says  the  Apostle,  is 
the  correct  attitude  for  all  who  have  been  called  to  the  Christian 
life:  ^'Forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  I  press  on  toward 
the  goal.'^ 

Before  we  go  further  let  us  try  to  get  a  general  conception  of 
what  the  Apostle  means  by  his  figure  as  applied  to  the  Christian 
life.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  what  he  means  is  this — that 
the  Christian  life  begins,  continues,  and  ends  in  a  looking  up 
and  a  pressing  forward:  it  begins  with  shame,  afterwards  to  be 
oblivion,  for  the  past,  and  with  hope  for  the  future,  in  utter 
dissatisfaction  with  everything  that  has  been  done,  and  an 
eager  longing  and  striving  for  the  better  things  that  are  to  be. 
It  begins  in  this  way,  and  it  goes  on  in  this  way  to  the  very  end. 
It  makes  no  difference  whether  you  are  far  advanced  in  Christ- 


85 

ian  life,  or  have  only  just  come  into  it,  or  are  not  in  it  yet  at 
all — this  is  the  attitude  for  you.  The  Apostle,  you  note,  ap- 
plies it  to  himself:  "This  one  thing  I  do. ' '  Paul  was  a  mature 
Christian  when  he  wrote  these  words.  The  Epistle  to  the 
Philippians  was  written  just  before  the  end.  For  at  least 
thirty  years  he  had  been  living  a  life  of  Christian  endurance 
and  heroism  such  as  the  world  had  never  seen  before.  If  there 
was  one  man  in  all  the  Church,  or  in  all  the  World,  who  had  a 
right  to  look  back  upon  those  thirty  years  with  a  feeling  of 
complacent  satisfaction,  surely  that  man  was  Paul;  yet  he 
flings  it  all  behind  him  as  not  worth  considering,  as  just  a  dead 
thing,  only  a  sort  of  stepping-stone  on  which  to  mount  to 
things  higher.  This  was  Paul's  philosophy,  always  and  every- 
where. It  runs  like  a  silver  thread  through  all  his  letters. 
And  he  got  this  in  the  way  we  are  all  to  get  it — by  beholding 
Christ;  because,  when  Jesus  came  into  this  world,  became  in- 
carnate, and  set  before  us  the  perfect  man — the  ideal  man — the 
man  divine — it  seems  to  me  that  what  he  intended  to  do  was 
to  make  this  world  utterly  dissatisfied  with  the  manhood  which 
had  been  lived  and  exemplified  up  to  that  time,  and  to  set  it 
striving  after  the  higher  manhood  that  he  had  reaHzed.  It 
seems  to  me  that  this  is  the  inevitable  effect  which  Christ  has 
upon  everyone  who  looks  upon  Him  with  steadfast  eyes.  He 
makes  us  ashamed  and  impatient  of  everything  we  have,  so 
far,  done,  and  been,  and  He  sets  us  striving  after  the  higher 
ideal  which  He  exemplifies.  The  motto  of  our  life  becomes 
this — can  become  only  this:  "One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the 
things  which  are  behind,  and  stretching  forward  to  the  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  on  toward  the  goal." 

This  is  the  general  thought.  Let  me,  now,  very  briefly, 
give  it  a  three-fold  application: 

I.  It  applies  to  nations.  Some  one  has  called  Paul  "the 
Apostle  of  the  Western  World. ' '  And  the  designation  is  correct. 
Paul  had  an  Eastern  training,  but  a  Western  mind  and  a  West- 
ern outlook.  And  this  he  got  directly  from  his  interpretation 
of  Christ.  The  Western  world  has  pre-eminently  the  spirit  of 
what  we  may  call  dissatisfaction  with  all  past  attainments, 
however  great,  and  a  ceaseless,  untiring  pressing  forward.  All 
Christian  nations  have  this,  more  or  less;  and  they  have  it, 
it  seems  to  me,  exactly  to  the  extent  to  which  they  are  Christian ; 


86 

SO  much  so  that  the  non-Christian  nations  are  entirely  without 
it.  Without  exception  these  nations  are  content  to  stand  still, 
stagnant,  immovable,  decaying.  You  say, ' '  There  is  one  excep- 
tion to  this;  is  there  not — Japanf"  Japan,  as  yet,  is  not  a 
Christian  nation;  yet  it  is  moving  rapidly  forward.  Japan  is 
busily  engaged  in  an  imitation — or,  perhaps,  I  ought  to  say,  an 
adaptation — of  our  Western  ways,  of  our  sciences,  our  machinery, 
our  civihzation  generally.  Japan  is  appropriating  the  fruit  and 
branches,  while  rejecting  the  root  and  trunk;  for  mark — the 
very  root  and  trunk  of  our  civilization  is  our  religion.  Japan  is 
saying,  "We  will  take  all  that  you  have  except  your  religious 
faith;"  which  is  about  the  same  as  saying  "We  will  take  the 
body  without  the  thought  which  keeps  it  going,  animates  it." 
Japan  is  moving  forward  on  an  atheistic  basis ;  and  nobody  who 
has  read  history  can  have  any  hope  for  such  a  nation.  If  it  ac- 
cepts our  religion,  if  it  accepts  the  religion  of  Christ— as  I  be- 
lieve it  will,  if  you  and  I  are  faithful  to  the  missionary  obliga- 
tion— all  will  be  well.  But  if  Japan  rejects  this  rehgion,  the 
nation  will  take  its  place  among  the  nations  of  the  past.  Either 
this,  or  it  will  be  the  one,  the  only,  exception  to  the  rule  in  the 
history  of  the  world. 

Think  of  the  other  non-Christian  nations — China,  Africa, 
India,  (so  far  as  it  is  not  affected  by  Christian  influences), — they 
are  all  exactly  as  they  were  2000  years  ago,  or  they  have  gone 
back,  and,  some  of  them,  a  long  way  back.  China  was,  at  one 
time,  in  the  very  fore-front  of  the  world's  civilization.  You 
know  where  it  is  to-day.  True,  in  China,  to-day,  we  see  signs 
of  a  great  intellectual  awakening,  a  result  of  Christian  in- 
fluences; and  we  hope  that  China  will  become  a  Christian 
kingdom  and  take  her  place  among  the  advancing  nations. 
But  you  all  know  the  history  of  China  as  a  non-Christian 
empire  —  and  know  that  until  yesterday  she  was  a  carcass 
with  the  eagles  gathered  around  her. 

The  people  of  India  were  at  one  time  a  strong,  a  virtuous 
people.  With  the  exception  alone  of  that  Young  India  which 
has  felt,  directly  or  indirectly,  the  influence  of  Christ,  they 
have  fallen  into  mental  indolence  and  apathy. 

The  Mohammedan  nations,  a  thousand  years  ago,  far  sur- 
passed the  Christian  nations  in  their  knowledge  of  the  arts 
and  sciences;  but  they  have  lost  it  all. 


87 

And  the  point  of  it  all  is  this: — these  nations  have  either 
stood  still  or  gone  back,  because  they  have  lived  upon  their 
past,  gloried  in  their  past,  and  found  all  perfection  in  their 
past.  They  have  had  their  eyes  behind,  while  Christian  na- 
tions have  gone  on  from  stage  to  stage,  increasing  in  intellect- 
ual gifts,  and  moral  qualities,  and  commercial  greatness  be- 
cause they  have  had  burnt  into  them,  far  deeper  than  they 
knew,  this  great  Christian  Pauline  thought:  that  nations  ad- 
vance in  so  far — and  only  in  so  far — as  they  forget  the  things 
which  are  behind,  and  stretch  forward  to  the  things  which  are 
before.  And  more  than  this:  it  is  significant  that  the  Christ- 
ian nations  which  are  the  most  progressive  are  without  excep- 
tion the  nations  of  the  Reformation,  the  Protestant  nations 
which  took  St.  Paul  as  their  great  interpreter  of  Christian  truth 
next  to  the  Master  Himself;  while  the  Cathohc  nations,  Hke 
Spain  (to  take  an  extreme  instance),  which  never  regarded  St. 
Paul  as  more  than  a  second-rate  Apostle,  and  never  troubled 
themselves  with  the  study  of  his  teachings,  have,  for  the  last 
four  centuries,  had  their  eyes  at  the  back,  and  have  been  stead- 
ily  declining. 

Here  then  we  have  the  one  condition  of  progress.  All  history 
emphasizes  it:  For  a  nation,  or  a  society,  or  a  city,  to  look 
back  and  live  in  the  past  is  to  dig  its  own  grave.  While  grate- 
ful for  all  that  was  of  good  in  the  past,  it  must  remember  that 
there  are  better  things  in  the  future;  that  a  richer  life  and  a 
still  nobler  manhood  are  awaiting  it  in  the  days  to  come.  Na- 
tions advance  always  along  these  lines — ' '  Forgetting  the  things 
which  are  behind  I  press  on  toward  the  goal." 

II.  Let  me  now  in  very  simple  words  apply  this  truth  to 
our  individual  life.  I  can  think,  this  morning,  of  just  three 
classes  of  people.  They  may  or  they  may  not  all  be  represented 
here;  but  this  motto  of  the  Apostle  is  true  of  them  all: 

First — there  is  that  very  large  class  of  people  who  have  be- 
gun badly  and  continued  badly  up  to  the  present.  Their  life 
has  simply  been  a  blundering  and  a  sinning  all  the  way  through. 
It  may  be  I  am  speaking  to  some  such  persons,  this  morning; 
if  so,  I  wish  to  say  to  you  there  is  no  hope  for  you  whatever, 
unless  you  can,  in  some  way,  leave  all  that  wicked  past  be- 
hind you,  and,  in  a  way  forget  it.     The  first  thing  to  do  is  to 


8S 

repent  of  it  sincerely,  to  take  a  last  look  at  it — a  look  of  loathing 
and  of  shame — then,  carry  it  to  the  all-forgiving  feet  of  Jesus, 
and  leave  it  there.  And,  when  you  have  done  this  do  not 
think  of  it  again,  unless  you  are  forced  to  do  so;  above  all  things, 
don't  talk  about  it.  When  I  hear  a  man  on  a  Christian  plat- 
form telling  what  a  big  sinner  he  has  been,  raking  up  all  the 
dirty,  nasty  past,  and  dwelling  upon  it  with  a  sort  of  half-ex- 
ulting glee,  smacking  his  lips  unctuously  as  if  he  rather  liked 
the  taste  of  it,  it  always  makes  me  feel  as  though  he  were  not 
far  removed  from  being  a  big  sinner  still.  If  a  man  is  striv- 
ing after  God  and  goodness  he  will  want  to  think  as  little  as 
possible  of  an  evil  past;  and  he  will  not  talk  about  it  unless  he 
is  forced  to  do  so.  If  he  has  sincerely  repented  him  of  it,  and 
renounced  it,  and  got  it  covered  with  God 's  great  mercy,  there 
is  no  use  brooding  over  it  any  more.  If  God  has  cast  your 
sins  into  the  depth  of  the  sea,  it  is  not  for  you  to  fish  them  up 
again.  Come  away  from  the  cemetery  where  your  sins  He  bur- 
ied. Don't  disinter  them;  they  smell  vilely.  Come  away,  to 
the  uplands,  where  the  sweet,  pure  breath  of  Christ  may  play, 
ay,  may  blow  freely  around  you:  forget  the  things  which  are 
behind. 

There  is  a  second  class.  I  hope  there  is  no  one  of  them  here, 
this  morning:  so  far  as  I  know,  there  is  not.  I  refer  to  that 
class  who  look  back  upon  the  past,  not  with  any  of  the  disturbed 
feelings  just  indicated,  but  with  a  kind  of  satisfaction.  They 
have  had  a  clean  record  so  far  as  the  world  knows;  they  stand 
high  in  pubHc  esteem;  they  have  been  diligent  and  industrious, 
and  are  respected  by  everyone.  They  know  this,  and  it  grati- 
fies them.  They  are  always  shaking  hands  with  themselves, 
saying  inwardly  to  others,  ' '  Walk  so  as  ye  have  us  for  an  ex- 
ample." Now,  so  far  as  I  know,  there  is  no  one  here,  this 
morning,  who  belongs  to  this  class:  but,  if  there  is,  let  me  say 
to  you,  lay  hold  of  that  self-conceit  of  yours,  my  brother,  my 
sister,  and  strangle  it,  or  it  will  kill  all  the  good  there  is  left  in 
you.  I  tell  you  there  is  hardly  one,  no:  there  is  not  one  of  us, 
here,  this  morning,  who  has  ever  done  a  single  thing  worthy 
of  the  Christian  name,  or  fit  to  lay  at  the  bleeding  feet  of  Him 
who  gave  up  everything  for  us.  Our  past  is  no  better  than  the 
scribbHng  of  a  child.  Let  us  tear  it  up,  and  throw  it  into  the 
waste-basket!  Let  us  forget  the  things  which  are  behind; 
they  are  not  worth  boasting. 


89 

But — there  is  a  third  class — and  I  know  there  are  many  of 
them  here,  this  morning— people  who  look  back  upon  their 
past  Christian  service,  not  with  feelings  of  gratification,  nor  a 
feelingof  satisfaction,  but  just  the  reverse.  They  feel  that  their 
efforts  have  all  been  so  feeble,  their  growth  so  slow,  their  fail- 
ures so  many,  that  they  are  truly  disheartened  when  they  think 
of  it  all.  The  message  to  these, — to  you,  my  friends, — is  the 
same — '  'forget  those  things  which  are  behind. "  It  is  not  good 
for  any  man,  hopeless  of  amendment — it  is  not  good  for  Christ- 
ians— to  brood  morbidly  over  past  failures.  If  done  too  much 
it  is  discouraging,  demoralizing,  paralyzing;  it  makes  a  man 
fear  to  attempt  new  things,  because  he  feels  sure  that  he  will 
fail.  Do  not  let  your  failures  drag  you  down.  Ignore  them; 
start  again,  trusting  in  the  strength  of  Christ,  and  He  will  sur- 
prise you  with  unexpected  victories.  So,  to  all  and  everyone 
of  us,  comes  this  word,  this  morning:  "Forgetting  the  things 
behind  I  press  on  toward  the  goal." 

III.  I  have  left  myself  but  a  few  moments  to  speak  of  the 
third  application  of  the  text,  and  yet  only  a  few  moments  are 
needed. 

We  have  here  what  always  has  been,  and  always  must  be 
the  watchword  of  the  Church  in  all  its  spiritual  warfare  and  en- 
deavor: 

No  Church,  however  glorious  its  past,  ever  assumes  any  at- 
titude other  than  that  which  is  expressed  in  the  word  "For- 
ward. ' '  No  living  Church  sighs  to  bring  back  anything  from 
the  days  of  the  past;  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  always  praying  for 
new,  and  better,  things.  There  are  people  who  are  constantly 
sighing  for  the  glorious  days  the  Church  had,  in  some  time,  long 
ago,  when  it  was  all  one  body,  and  there  were  no  divisions, 
and  no  sects,  when  people  all  believed  the  same  things,  and 
worshipped  according  to  the  same  form,  and  when  all  loved  one 
another — which,  by  the  way,  they  never  did.  My  friends,  I 
have  no  sympathy  whatever  with  those  people  who  beheve 
that  the  golden  days  of  the  Church  were  in  the  Fourth  Century, 
or  the  Third  Century,  or  any  century  that  lies  behind.  What 
was  there  even  in  the  first  century  that  you  and  I,  and  all,  do 
not  possess,  to-day,  in  this  Twentieth  Century?  "Ah!  there 
was  the  Master,  working  miracles,"  you  say.  But  listen: 
* '  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. ' ' 


90 

"But,"  you  say,  "the  apostles  were  there,  doing  their  won- 
drous works."  That  same  mighty  Spirit  which  gave  them 
all  their  wonderful  gifts,  we  have  with  us  still.  The  golden 
days,  I  tell  you,  are  always  in  the  future;  the  Church  is  ever 
pressing  on  toward  the  goal,  away  from  that  dead  uniformity 
which  some  would  bring  back,  and,  through  all  divisions, 
to  that  spiritual  oneness  which  is  in  Christ.  It  is  pressing 
on,  from  worldiness,  commercialism  and  apathy,  to  Christ-like 
conduct  and  a  higher  service,  and  to  larger  conquests  for  the 
risen  Redeemer. 

There  are  signs  of  these  things  all  about  us.  I  believe  there 
are  young  people  in  this  church,  to-day,  who  will  not  taste 
death  until  they  see  something  like  a  new  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
the  Earth. 

*  This  must  be  the  spirit  of  every  Christian  Church  that  would 
do  the  Master's  work  with  any  prospect  of  success;  and  if 
there  are  any  persons  here,  this  morning,  who  have  fallen  into 
the  way  of  thinking  that  this  Church  has  seen  its  best  days, 
that  there  is  nothing  for  us  now  but  to  go  jogging  along  and 
simply  to  hold  our  own — if  there  are  any  here,  to-day,  who  have 
a  thought  of  this  kind,  I  want  to  say  to  you,  smother  it;  tram- 
ple it;  get  rid  of  it;  because  that  way  lies  stagnation,  creeping 
paralysis,  and  death.  Forget  the  things  which  are  behind,  and 
stretching  forth  unto  the  things  which  are  before,  press  on  toward 
the  goal  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling! 

"And  may  the  God  of  Hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace,  in 
believing  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope  through  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

Amen. 


The  Pastor* 

The  Rev.  J.  Keif  G»  Fraser,  D.  D* 


The  success  of  these  Centennial  Services  was  so  largely  due  to 
our  Pastor,  not  onl}^  in  the  suggesting  and  planning  but  also 
in  the  execution  of  these  plans,  that  a  short  sketch  of  his  life  is 
most  appropriate  and  fitting  in  this  memorial  volume. 

The  Rev.  J.  Keir  G.  Fraser  was  born  on  August  31st,  1864, 
on  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Allan 
Fraser  of  Alberton,  Prince  Edward  Island,  died  when  Dr. 
Fraser  was  only  five  years  old.  His  grand-father,  on  his 
mother's  side,  was  the  Rev.  John  Keir,  D.  D.,  Professor  of 
Theology  in  the  Presbyterian  Seminary  at  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia,  aftd  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Canadian  Church. 

Dr.  Fraser,  our  Pastor,  received  his  early  education  at 
Prince  of  Wales  College,  Charlottetown,  Prince  Edward  Island. 
He  entered  Dalhousie  University,  at  Halifax,  in  1885,  and 
graduated  there,  in  1889,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
He  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  the  Presbyterian  Semin- 
ary of  Montreal,  and  graduated  with  honor,  in  1891,  as  the 
gold-medahst  of  his  class.  He  then  took  a  post-graduate 
course  in  Theology  at  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New 
York  City,  giving  special  attention  to  the  Old  Testament  and 
Semitics,  under  Dr.  Francis  Brown,  the  eminent  Old  Testament 
scholar,  and  received  from  this  institution  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Divinity.  At  the  close  of  his  course  at  Union  Seminary, 
he  spent  some  time  travelling  in  Europe,  visiting  several  of  the 
German  Universities.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was 
later  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Presbyterian  College  of  South 
Carolina. 

Soon  after  his  graduation  from  the  Seminary  in  Montreal,  he 
was  ordained,  on  Aug.  26th,  1891,  being  called  to  his  father's 
church  at  Alberton,  Prince  Edward  Island,  where  he  ministered 
for  seven  years.  Then  for  a  year  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  St. 
James'  Church,  Charlottetown,  during  the  absence  of  the 
Pastor  as  Chaplain  of  the  Canadian  Regiment  in  the  Boer  War. 


92 

Coming  south  in  search  of  a  milder  cHmate,  he  suppUed  the 
pulpit  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  at  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  for  seven  months,  during  the  absence  of  the  Pastor. 
He  supplied  the  pulpit  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  from  August  1st,  1902,  during  the 
illness  of  the  Pastor,,  the  Rev.  Gilbert  R.  Brackett,  D.  D.,  who 
died  in  December,  1902.  Dr.  Fraser  was  called  to  the  regular 
Pastorate  February  22nd,  1903,  and  was  installed  March  22nd, 
1903.  Dr.  Fraser  is  now  Chairman  of  Presbytery's  Committee 
on  Ministerial  Relief  and  also  of  the  Examining  Committee  on 
Ancient  Languages  and  Scripture  Originals.  He  was  mar- 
ried, on  Sept.  23d,  1903,  to  Miss  Isabel  Jane  Clark,  of  Alberton, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada. 

Dr.  Fraser  is  an  earnest  and  thorough  student,  a  profound 
thinker,  an  attractive  and  impressive  preacher,  bringing  only 
' '  beaten  oil ' '  into  the  sanctuary.  His  ministrations  as  a 
Pastor  are  most  acceptable  to  his  people,  and  his  influence, 
especially  over  the  younger  members  of  the  Congregation,  has 
been  marked,  and  continues  to  increase.  At  almost  every 
quarterly  Communion  Season  the  Master  of  the  Vineyard  has 
set  the  seal  of  His  approbation  on  our  Pastor's  labors  and 
ministrations  by  adding  new  members  to  the  Church  upon 
profession  of  their  faith.  Our  people  are  united,  and  look 
forward  to  constantly  increasing  prosperity  under  the  guid- 
ance and  leadership  of  this  Under-Shepherd,  whom,  they  be- 
lieve, has  been  sent  them  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  in 
answer  to  their  earnest  prayers. 


Official  Organization 

Of 

THE  SECOND  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH: 

May,  1909. 


PASTOR. 

REV.  J.  KEIR  G.  ERASER; 

Residence,  49  Pitt  Street,  the  Manse. 

Phone  No  972. 

CHURCH  TREASURER. 

Hall  T.  McGee,  Jr.,  152  Rutledge  Ave. 

STANDING  COMMITTEE. 

President,  J.  Adger  Smyth;  Vice-Pres.,  H.  C.  Hughes; 

Secretary,  R.  E.  Seabrook; 

W.  S.  Allan,  "  R.  W.  Hutson, 

T.  A.  Legare,  J.  W.  Robson, 

H.  C.  Robertson. 

ELDERS. 

J.  Adger  Smyth,  J.  N.  Robson, 

Augustine  T.  Smythe,  R.  E.  Seabrook, 

J.  W.  Robson,  E.  F.  Miscally, 

W.  S.  Allan,  H.  C.  Hughes,  Clerk. 

DEACONS. 
Chairman,  R.  W.  Hutson;  Secretary,  W.W.  Clement; 

G.  H.  Moffett,  R.  M.  Masters, 

R.  A.  Smyth,  W.  McL.  Frampton, 

C.  McK.  Rose,  John  Frampton, 

Treasurer,  L.  C.  King. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL. 

Supt.,  T.  Allen  Legare;      Asst.  Supt.,  L.Cheves  McC.  Smythe; 
Sec,  John  Frampton;        Asst. Sec,  Hall  T.  McGee,  Jr.; 
Honorary  Secretary,  John  W.  Robson; 


94 


Libr'n, Colin  McK. Rose;     Asst.  Libr'n, Chas. F. Steinmeyer,  Ji.; 

Organist,  Miss  G.  J.  Rose;        Clarionette,  Eugene  Prince; 

Precentor,  W.  Laurence  Millar,  Jr. 

Young  Men's  Bible  Class,  W.  S  Allan; 

Young  Ladies'  Bible  Class,  Miss  S  A  Smyth; 

Primary  Department,  Miss  S  R  Smyth; 
Miss  E.  J.  Adger,    '  Miss  W.  W.  King  . 


Teachers. 


J.  N.  Robson, 
L.  C.  King, 
E.  A.  Fripp, 
Miss  J.  A.  Prince 
Miss  Mattie  Knox, 
Mrs.  J.  K.  G.  Eraser, 
Mrs.  Stickney, 
Miss  Julia  Haesloop, 
Miss  M.  C.  Mustard, 
Miss  Eva  McNeill, 


Miss  Florence  Bolger, 
Miss  Helen  Mclndoe, 
Miss  Fannie  McNeill, 
Miss  Mary  Brailsford, 
Joe  M.  Frampton, 
Miss  A.  N.  Allan, 
Miss  Jessie  Bolger, 
Miss  Lily  Fogartie, 
Miss  Janie  McCormick, 
Miss  Susie  McGee. 


THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CLUB. 

President,  W.  W.  Clement;  Vice-President,  J.  W.  Collins; 

Secretary,  Miss  Marion  Seabrook;     Treasurer,  H.  T.  McGee,  Jr. 

Chairmen  of  Committees: 

Devotional,  John  Frampton;  Membership,  T.  A.  Legare; 

Musical,  W.  L.  Millar;  Ch.  Ext'n,  H.  C.  Hughes; 

Personal  Work,  R.  H.  King;  Visiting,  Miss  A.  N.  Allan; 

Mis'n  Study,  Miss  0.  Eiserhardt;  Social,  Miss  M.  E.  Knox. 


EDUCATION  SOCIETY. 

President  and  Treasurer,  Miss  S.  A.  Smj^th; 
Vice-President,  Miss  E.  J.  Adger. 


95 

MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

President,  Mrs.  J.  Keir  G.  Fraser; 
Vice-President,  (Foreign)  Miss  E.  J.  Adger; 
Treasurer,  (Foreign)  Mrs.  John  Bennett; 
Vice-President,  (Home)  Miss  W.  W.  King; 

Treasurer,  (Home)  Mrs.  J.  G.  Morris; 

Corresponding  Secretary,  Miss  Jessie  Bolger; 

Recording  Secretary,  Miss  0.  Eiserhardt. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  JUNIOR  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

President,  Robert  Schroder; 

Vice-President,  Miss  Agnes  Warren; 

Recording  Secretary,  Miss  Beulah  Warren; 

Corresponding  Secretary,  Miss  Olive  Murray ; 

Treasurer,  Miss  A.  N.  Allan. 

THREADNEEDLE  SOCIETY. 

President,  Miss  Jessie  Bolger; 

Vice-President.  Miss  G.  Frampton; 

Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Miss  May  Stein meyer. 


THE  MANSE  SOCIETY. 

President,  Miss  Sarah  R.  Smyth; 

Vice-President,  Mrs.  H,  D.  Shackleford; 

Secretary-Treasurer,  Miss  Mattie  E.  Knox. 


USHERS. 


W.  W.  Clement,  Chairman; 
John  Frampton,  Colin  McK.  Rose, 

John  King,  Hall  T.  McGee,  Jr. 


SEXTON. 

Charles  Artope,  11  Norman  Street. 


COMMUNICANTS 

of 

The  Second  Presbyterian  Churchy 


J909. 


Adger,  Mrs.  Wm.  (Margaret  H.) 
Allan,  Mrs.  Amy 
Allan,  Amy  N. 
Allan,  Wm.  S. 
Allan,  Mjs.  Susan  J. 
Allan,  Richard  H. 
Adams,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Adger,  Elizabeth  J. 
Adger,  Jane  E. 
Atldnson,  Mrs.  A.  S. 
Adams,  Eliza  E. 
Addison,  Mrs.  F.  Rice 
Aldret,  Benjamin  Q. 
Aldret,  Mrs.  Eva  F. 
Allan,  Dr.  Sarah  C. 
Aldret,  Edna  Haynes 
Adams,  Pauline 
Aldret,  Mamie  C. 
Aldret,  Joseph  E. 
Allan,  Mrs.  Ida  V. 
Ayers,  Mrs.  Hattie  Petit* 
Anderson,  Mrs.  Hannah 

Bennett,  Mrs.  Susan  S. 
Brackett,  Mr".  Louise 
Bailey,  Mrs.  Mary 
Bailey,  Elvira 
Brailsford,  Mary 
Bee,  J.  Samuel 
Bee,  Mrs.  F.  Ardie 
Bee,  Lilly  E. 
Beekman,  Mrs.  Janie  B. 
Bliss,  Eliza  R. 
Bliss,  Sallie  P. 
Butler,  Wm.  Enston 
Butler,  Mrs.  Ella  J. 
Butler,  Hannah  E. 


Butler,  Catherine  E. 
Butler,  Jessie  A. 
Blakeley,  Elizabeth  L. 
Blakeley,  Laura  P. 
Bolger,  Mrs.  Florence 
Bolger,  Florence 
Bolger,  Jessie 
Bee,  Mrs.  Annie 
Bush,  Catherine 
Baynard,  Mrs.  Annie  L. 
Butler,  John  W. 
Butler,  Mrs.  Lillie  V. 
Bennett,  Mrs.  Bertha  Miscally 
Burn,  Mrs.  Mary  Steinmeyer 

Cargill,  Mrs.  Adelaide 
Castillo,  Mrs.   Janie 
Chreitzburg,  Eugenia 
Collins,  Humbert  M. 
Collins,  Mrs.  Louisa  A. 
Cochrane,  Samuel 
Carrere,  Alma 
Carrere,  Susan 
Carrere,  Lilian 
Connor,  Mrs.  Mary 
Collins,  H.  Preston 
Collins,  Mrs.  Alice  Jennie 
Collins,  Louise 
CoUins,  Charlotte 
Corby,  Mattie  B. 
Campbell,  Mrs.  Victoria  0. 
Chubb,  James  Edward 

Day,  Zenobia 

De  Hay,  George  C. 

Dolive,   Mrs.   Mary  Happoldt 

Donaldson,  Mrs.  Annie 

Duncan,  Mrs.  Agnes 


97 


Eiserhardt,  Osalien 
Edgerton,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Edgerton,  Cecilia  C. 
Eager,  Elizabeth 

Falconer,  James  C. 
Falconer,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Fogartie,  Elizabeth  G. 
Fogartie,  Mrs.  Eliza  G. 
Fogartie,  Lily  L. 
Frampton,  Louise  H. 
Frampton,  Mrs.  Hattie 
Frampton,  John 
Eraser,  Mrs.  Isabel  Clark 
Frampton,  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Frampton,  W.  McLeod 
Frampton,  Annie  M. 
Frampton,   Gertrude 
Frampton,  Joseph  M. 
Fripp,  E.   Allan 
Frampton,  Wm.  Horlbeck 
Frampton,  Joel 
Freeman,  Mrs.  Mamie  Framp- 
ton 

Glen,  Wm.  B. 
Glen,  Mrs.  Jennie  I. 
Grant,  Colin  McK. 
Glover,  Mrs.  Ottilie  V. 
Grimke,  Mrs.  Sarah  T. 
Grimke,  Mary  S. 
Glover,  Charles  W. 
Grimshaw,    Florence 
Gelzer,  Mrs.  Annie  Frampton 

Holmes,  Mary 
Harvey,  Mrs.  Edith 
Holmes,  Mrs.  Josephine 
Hughes,  Horatio  C. 
Hughes,  Mrs.  Julia  G. 
HamUn,  Elizabeth 
Hutson,  Richard  W. 
Hutson,  Mrs.  Myrtle  J. 
Howe,  Mrs. 
Hunter,  Mrs.  Lily 
Happoldt,  Mrs.  Frances 
Hisch,  Rebecca 
Hunter,  Cleo  Taylor 
Hard,  Mrs.  Susan  E. 


Hanahan,  Edward  J. 
Hanahan,  Mrs.  Rena  F. 
Heyward,  Mrs.  R.  D. 
Holloman,  Mrs.  L  C. 
Heyward,  James 
Hughes,  Horatio,  Jr. 
Howe,  Dora 
Hartnett,  Mrs.  Corinne  Corby 

Irving,  Agnes  K. 

Jervey,  Mrs.  Alice  G. 
Jenkins,  Edward  Q. 
Jenkhis,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Jordan,  Mrs.  Beulah  Maule 

King,  Christopher  W. 
King,  Richard  Hayne 
Knox,  Martha  E. 
Kauffner,  John  A. 
Kauffner,  Mrs.  Gertrude  A. 
King,  Eliza  Cheves 
King,  Langdon  Cheves 
King,  Samuel 
Keckeley,  Emma 
King,  Mrs.  Sarah  J. 
Kennedv,  Mrs.  Caroline  E, 
Kilpatrick,  Mrs.  Sybil  C. 
King,  John 
King,  E.  Swinton 
King,  Wilhelmina  W. 
Kennedy,  James  F. 
King,  Julian 

Keys,  Robert  Thompson 
King,  Mrs.  Louise  Robinson 

Legare,  Edward  T. 
Legare,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Legare,  George  Q. 
Legare,  T.  Allan 
liegare,  Mrs.  Lily  M. 
Lockwood,  Mrs.  Ella 
Legare,  Mrs.  Mary  F. 
Lanneau,  Gracia 
Lamble,  Wm.  J. 
Lamble,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Larrissey,  Mrs. 
Lunz  George  R. 
Lunz,  Mrs.  Minnie  W. 


98^ 


Jjefiare,  Ferdie  Tslar 
Ladd,  Thos.  N. 
Ladd,  Mrs.  Rosa  P. 
Ladd,  Mabel  O. 
Ladd,  Edith  C. 

Marshall,  Mrs.  Ann 
Mustard,  Mrs.  Carohne 
Mustard,  Minnie 
Mustard,  Lilian 
Martin,  Archibald 
Martin,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Motte,  Annie  P. 
Maule,  Mrs.  Rosalie  L. 
Masters,  Raphael  M. 
Morris,  Mrs.  Josephine 
Millar,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Millar,  Theodore   D. 
Millar,  W.  Lawrence,  Jr 
Miscally,  Edwin  F. 
Miscally,  Mrs.  Barliara  I;. 
Mather,  Lizzie  G. 
Moffett,  George  H.  t 

Moffett,  Daisy 
Meggett,  Mrs.  Mary. 
Meggett,    James 
Meggett,  Williams  W. 
Morrow,  Mrs.  Jeanette 
Mather,  William 
Mather,  Lizzie  G. 
Meggett,  Mary  Murray 
Meggett,  Cecile  Westmore 
Masters,  Agnes  Gertrude 
Millar,  Marion  F. 
Meggett,  Elizabeth  Clement 
Meacher,  Mrs.  F.  E. 
Mitchell,  James  Murray 
Millar,  Mrs.  Lawrence.  Sr.""' 
Muckenfuss,  Mrs.  Pauline  R. 
Martin,  Mrs.  Mary  C* 

McGee,   Susan  T. 
McGee,  Mary  C. 
McGee,  Harriet  W. 
McCormack,  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
McCormack,  M.  Janie 
McClure,  John  B.,  Sr  * 
McClure,  Lily 
McCarrel,  Robert 


McCarrel,  Mrs.  Esther  C. 
Mclndoe,  Mrs.  Agnes 
Mclndoe,    Helena 
Mclndoe,  Agnes 
McGee,  James  W. 
McDermid,  George  C. 
McDermid,  Mrs.  Jessie 
McNeill,  Mary  E. 
McDermid,  Robin  M. 
McNeill,  Mrs.  Snusan 
McNeill,  Fannie 
McNeill,  Mrs.  Barbara 
McNeill,  Eva 
McNeill,  Mary 
McClure,  John  B.,  Jr. 
McGee,  Arthur  P. 
McGee,  Hall  T.,  Jr. 
McNight,  George  Glen 

Nohrden,  Mrs.  Florence 
Neil,  Agnes 
Neil,  Mary 
Neumann,  Daisy 
Nohrden,  l^ucile 

Oswald,  Mrs.  Mary  T. 

Percival,  Mrs.  Jessie  A. 
Prince,  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Prince,  John 
Prince,  Jane  A. 
Prince,  Maud 
Percival,  Edward  W. 
Prince,  TiOuise  E. 
Petit,  Arthur  Washington 
Petit,  Mrs.  Mattie  Louise 
Picquet,  Susan. 
Picquet,  Lucille 
Percival,  Gertrude 
Picquet,  Isabella 

Quigley,  Janie 
Quigley,  John  G. 
Quigley,  Mrs.  Addie 

Robertson,  Mrs.  Mamie 
Robertson,  Harry  C. 
Roberts,  Mrs.  Eliza  Q.* 
Riggs,  Mrs.  Martha 


99 


Koberson,  John  W. 
Roberson,  Mrs.  Lily- 
Rose,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Rose,   CoHn  McK. 
Rose,  T.  Donald 
Rose,  Margaret  G. 
Rose,   Gertrude  J. 
Robinson,  Mrs.  Jane 
Robinson,  Jean 
Richardson,  Mrs.  Victoria  R. 
Rumley,  Mrs   Sarah  L. 
Rumley,  Jessie  E. 
Robson,  Mrs.  Helen  H. 
Reeves,  Robert 
Reeves,  Mrs.  Robt. 
Roumillatt,   Mrs.   Rosaline 
Robson,  J.  N. 
Robson,  Sarah  M. 
Robson,  John  W. 
Robson,  Franklin  E. 
Robson,  John  Raymond 
Reynolds,  Harry  F.,  Jr. 
Reynolds,  Henry  P. 
Reynolds,  Mrs.  H.  P. 

Simmons,  Mr^.  Sarah  E, 
SmJth,  Carrie 
Smyth.  J.  Adger 
Smyth,  SarahR. 
Smyth,  Robert  A. 
Smyth,  Sarah  Ann 
Smythe,  Augustine  T, 
Smythe,  L.  Cheves  McC. 
Smythe,  Augustine  T.,  Jr. 
Schroder,  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Stoney,  Mrs.  Louisa  C. 
Steinmeyer,  Chas.  F. 
Steinmeyer,  Mrs.  Carrie 
Smith,  Fannie  I. 
Seabrook,  Robert  E. 
Seabrook,  Mrs.  Annie  , 

Stickney,  Mrs.  Mary  R.  McD. 
Shaw,^Irs.  Martha 


Shaw,  Mary  Edith 
Shaw,  Susan  N. 
Simmons,  Mrs.  Sarah  E. 
Shackelford,  Henry  D. 
Shackelford,  Mrs.  Annie  R. 
Simonton,  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Steinmeyer,   Marian   Smith 
Steinmeyer,  Charles  F.,  Jr. 
Shokes,  Mrs.  Cleo  Estelle 
Stuart,  Mrs.  E.  F. 
Steinmeyer,  Carrie  Mae 
Schroder,    Charles 
Schroder,  Robert  Durvea 
Stuart,  Mary  F. 
Silcox,  Mrs.  Agnes  Miscally 

Timmons,  Margaret  A. 
Taylor,  Janie 
Temple,  Alice  E. 
Tyrrell,  Lottie 

Verdery,  Mrs.  Beulah  R. 
Veronee,  Maggie  May 
Veronee,  Mrs.  Maggie 
Vernon,  Mrs.  Janie  Day 

Wright,  Mrs.  Hannah  McC.  S. 
Whilden,  Mrs.  Sarah  D. 
Whilden,  Drucie 
Whilden,  Lizzie  C, 
Wilson,  Caroline 
Whilden,  Mrs.  Mary  I,. 
Wragg,  Mrs.  Martha  M. 
Warren,  Mrs.  Ada  A. 
Wright,  Janie  D. 
Wright,  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  C. 
Wright,  Harold  E. 
Warren,  Elsie 
Warren,  John  Hertz 
Warren,  Beulah  King 
Williams,  Mrs.  Kate  Aldr^t 

Zeigler,  Mrs.  Robert 


Note  : — All  names  followed  by  *  are  those  of  communicants  whose  death 
occurred  during  the  Centennial  year,  1909. 


100 


THE  SUNDAY  BULLETIN. 

Among  the  efficient  agencies  of  Chur^jh  conduct  instituted 
during  the  ministry  of  the  present  pastor  must  be  noted  the 
issue  and  distribution  throughout  the  congregation,  every 
Sunday,  at  morning  service,  of  a  regularly  published  bulletin 
of  current  events,  comprising  the  daily  order  of  liturgical  ser- 
vices and  of  worship,  a  careful  provisional  calendar  of  congre- 
gational activities  and  events  for  the  coming  week,  and  a 
standing  reference-list  of  the  complete  official  organization  of 
the  Church,  which  for  the  interest  of  the  future,  is  reproduced 
in  these  pages. 


Second  Presbyterian  Church 


CHARLESTON,  S.  C, 

t^*      (^*      {^* 

(ORGANIZED  1809) 

^»         %^t         <(?• 


MINISTER,    REV.    J.    KEIR    G.    ERASER,    D.  D. 


FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES : 

Mrs.  P.  F.  Price,  Dongshang,  China;  Prof.  E  R.  Sims,  Cardenas,  Cuba. 

HOME  MISSIONARY: 

Rev.  C.  E.  Robertson,  Lawton,  Oklahoma. 


Enter  into  His  gate  with  thanksgiving. 
And  into  His  courts  with  praise. 

We  shall  be  satisfied  with  the  goodness  of  Thy  House. 


First  page  of  weekly  Bulletin. 


101 

Th6  Ritual  in  ordinary  is  as  follows: 

Whosoever  thou  art  that  enterest  this  Church  leave  it  not  without 

a  prayer  to  God  for  thyself,  for  him  who  ministers, 

and  for  those  who  worship  here. 

Sunday,  April  10,  19 — . 

ORDER  OF  MORNING  WORSHIP. 

ORGAN  PRELUDE. 

THE  DOXOLOGY.— (The  congi-egationstanding) 

CALL  TO  WORSHIP. 

INVOCATION,  followed  by  the  Lord's  Prayer  (in  unison.) 

SELECTION. 

RESPONSIVE  READING,  Psalm. 

HYMN. 

SCRIPTURE  LESSON. 

PRAYER. 

OFFERTORY— (followed  by  brief  Prayer)  Organ  Solo. 

HYMN. 

PRAYER — Intercessions. 

SERMON. 

PRAYER. 

HYMN. 

BENEDICTION. 

ORGAN  POSTLUDE. 


CALENDAR  FOR  THE  WEEK. 

SUNDAY,  11  A.  M.:  Service  and  Sermon. 

"  4,  4:30  or  5  P.  M.  according  to  season:     Sun- 

day School  service. 
8  P.M.:  Young  People 's  Club. 
MONDAY,  8:15  P.  M.,  at  stated  interval:  Court  of  Dea- 

cons. 
8:15  P.  M.,  monthly:     Session. 
TUESDAY,         4,  4:30  or  5  P.  M.,' according  to  season;  sec- 
ond Tuesday  of  each  month:  Thread-Needle 
Society,  at  members'  residences. 
WEDNESDAY,  4:30  P.  M.:  Mid-week  Service. 
THURSDAY,      12  M.:  Education  Society;  at  members'  res- 
idences. 
FRIDAY,  4,  4:30  or  5  P.  M.,  according  to  season;  first 

Friday  of  each  month:  Missionary  Society, 
general,  at  the  Manse. 
"  8:15  P.  M.,  quarterly:  Preparatory  Service, 

SATURDAY,      4,  4:30  or  5  P.  M.,  according  toseason:  Junior 
Missionary  Society;  at  officers'  residences. 


102 

Here  follows  a  Typical  Weekly  Bulletin  of  Infonnation,  selected  at  ran 
dom,  as  an  example: 

We  welcome  to  our  Church  to-day  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Lafferty  of 
Summerville,  who  will  conduct  the  service  this  morning  and 
also  give  the  lecture  this  afternoon.  Let  us  pray  that  his 
visit  to  us  may  bring  with  it  a  Divine  blessing. 

The  Pastor  is  in  Summerville  to-day  where  he  has  gone  to 
visit  one  of  our  homes  in  which  there  is  sickne.ss.  To-morrow 
he  goes  to  Estill  to  attend  the  Spring  meeting  of  Charleston 
Presbytery. 

The  offering  this  morning  (through  the  white  envelopes)  is 
for  "Our  Church  Poor."  Next  Sunday  this  offering  goes  to 
"General  Assembly's  Home  Missions" — the  support  of  our 
Home  Missionary  in  Oklahoma.  It  is  hoped  that  all  will  con- 
tribute generously  to  this  important  cause. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  "Presbyterian  Home"  Society 
will  be  held  on  Monday  at  5  P.  M.  in  the  lecture  room  of  West- 
minster Church. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Pastor  on  Wednesday  afternoon  the 
mid-week  service  will  be  conducted  by  a  minister  of  one  of  the 
City  Churches.  It  is  hoped  there  will  be  a  large  congregation 
to  meet  him. 

The  session  at  its  meeting  on  Monday  evening  received  the 
report  of  contributions  to  Benevolent  and  Missionary  causes 
for  the  year  ending  March  31,  1910.  The  report  was  very  en- 
couraging and  the  congregation  is  urged  to  press  on  to  still 
higher  attainments  in  this  grace  of  giving  during  the  coming 
year.  All  of  the  causes  to  which  we  contribute  have  for  their 
aim  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  only  as  we 
give  them  our  generous  support  do  we  fulfil  our  mission  as  a 
Church  of  Christ.  The  congregation  is  asked  to  remember 
that  these  offerings  must  all  be  made  by  envelope  as  the  loose 
collection  on  Sunday  morning  goes  to  our  own  congregational 
expenses.  Separate  envelopes  are  furnished  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions and  everyone  is  urged  to  take  a  set  of  these  envelopes  for 
the  new  Church  year  and  subscribe  and  contribute  a  certain 
sum  each  week: 

"Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  everyone  of  you  lay  by 
him  in  store  as  God  hath  prospered  him." 

FOR  INFORMATION  OF  THE  PASTOR. 

Write  Name  and  Address  of  Persons,  check  the  square  con- 
taining Information,  detach  and  deposit  on  Collection 
Plate. 


Illness 


New        Desires 
Comer  call 


Children      j      Removed  to 
not  in  S.  S.     above  address 


STATEMENT 

OF 

The  Receipts  and  Expenditures 

OF 

The  Second  Presbyterian  Churchy 

FOR  THE  nSCAL  YEAR  ENDING  MAY  U  I9J0. 


The  effort  was  made  during  the  two  closing  years  of  the  end- 
ing century  to  make  up  bj^  deficiency  collections  an  amount 
large  enough  to  put  the  Church  building  in  thorough  repair, 
and  to  pay  off  all  indebtednesses,  that  the  New  Century  might 
be  begu;i  with  a  church  in  as  good  repair  as  it  was  in  the  year 
of  its  erection,  and  with  no  debt  out-standing.  That  this  was 
successfully  accomplished,  and  more,  is  discovered  by  examin- 
ation of  the  appended  full  financial  statement  for  the  first 
year  of  the  oncoming  century: 

1909.  CR. 

May  1 .     By  Balance  in  Carolina  Savings  Bank ....   $     328  24 

By  Pew  Rents,  amount  collected  during 

year....'. 1  480  91 

By  Yellow  Envelopes,  collected  during 

year 1  374  19 

By  Loose  Collection,  collected  during  year        301  38 

By  Deficiency  Collection,  collected  during 

year 25  00 

By  Increase  Income  of  Church,  from  L. 

C.  King 19  21 

By  Church  Fees,  received  from  Funerals 

and  Marriages 70  00 

By  Choir  Fees,  received  from  Funerals 

and  Marriages 7  50 

By  Sunday  School,  received  from 

L.  C.  King,  Treasurer $97  03 

Young  People 's  Club 8  75 

Home  Department  S.  S 5  30         111  08 

By  Fund  Perpetual  Care  Grave  Yard,  In- 
terest on  Bonds  and  Bank  Deposit....  32  03 


104 

DR. 

To  Sunday  School  Paid  Expenses  during 

year $  104  63 

"  Rev.  J.  K.  G.  Fraser,  paid  him  salary    2  000  00 
* '  Church  Fees,  paid  fees  for  Weddings 

and  Funerals 52  00 

' '  Choir  Fees,  paid  fees  for  Funerals 5  00 

*  *  Repair  Account,  repairs  during  year. . .  77  83 

To  Expense  Account — 

Printing  Centennial  Program $  13  00 

Printing  Treasurer 's  Report 4  00 

Printing  Calendars 92  50 

Sundry  Printing 3  50 

Printing  Yellow  Envelopes 20  00 

Printing  White  Envelopes 20  00 

Sign  Cards 3  50 

Delivered  Yellow  Envelopes 2  50 

Advertising  N.  and  C.  and  E.  P 38  50 

Church  Record  Books 5  75 

Tornado  Insurance,  on  Manse 17  00 

Balance  due  Pres.  Exp 11  01 

Pulpit  Reading  Desk 12  66 

Gas  Bills 18  78 

Water  Bills 16  98 

Wood  and  Coal 50  90 

Rubber  Hose 10  00 

Postage,  Ice  and  Sundries 25  90 

Organist 200  00 

Care  of  Organ 37  50 

Bellows  Blower 72  00 

Music 8  85 

Sexton 300  00 

Care  of  Grave  Yard 43  65 

Treasurer's  Commission 157  82 


SI  186  30 
Balance  in  Carolina  Savings  Bank 323  78 


749  54  S3  749  54 


By  Balance  in  Carolina  Savings  Bank ....  $     323  78 

HALL  T.  McGEE,  Jr., 
Treasurer, 


105 

BENEVOLENT  COLLECTIONS, 

Foreign  Missions $1  206  00 

Assembly 's  Home  Missions 332  00 

Local  Home  Missions 474  00 

Colored  Evangelization 91  00 

Ministerial  Relief 147  00 

Education 310  00 

Schools  and  Colleges 39  00 

Sunday  School  Extension  and  Publication 21  00 

Bible  Cause 13  00 

Assembly's  Home 26  00 

Poor  Fund 262  72 

Orphans '  Homes 224  00 

Presbyterial  Expenses 45  00 


S3  190  70 


H.  C.  HUGHES, 

Clerk  of  Session. 

RECAPITULATION, 

Corporation ' $  3  421   30 

Benevolent  Collections ,       3  190  72 

$  6  612  02 


Now,  may  God's  mercy  abide  with  us  ever !  and  may  the  on- 
coming century  be,  if  possible,  even  more  full  than  the  past,  of 
truly  inspired  work  for  the  salvation  of  men  and  to  the  everlasting 
glory  of  God !     Amen. 


''i'i'iiiirii?MMiI!'M,?.'!?,9''^^'  Seminary  Libraries 


1    1012  01250   9727 


